Coming Home
by sammygirl1963
Summary: AU. Will feature Mary throughout the story. John and Mary take in two foster boys. Could it be their two sons who were kidnapped years earlier? And if so, can they win back the love of their boys after years of mistrust towards adults? Will contain abuse, though nothing graphic.
1. Chapter 1

**Coming Home**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable in this story and I am making no profit from it.**

**Author's Note: This story is dedicated to the memory of my uncle who recently passed away.**

Sitting nervously on the couch as she and John waited to meet the two boys they had been asked to foster, Mary couldn't help but think of her own two boys, the boys she missed with all of her heart. Dean had only just turned six and Sammy nearly the age of two when they had been kidnapped from the mall, never to be seen again. It hurt her to her very soul to know that she was the reason for their missing status. She and her boys had been at the mall and were enjoying a day of shopping when her world turned upside down. Her attention had been drawn away from her boys for just a moment by the hysterical screams of what she had assumed was a mother looking for her own child. If she had only known how wrong she was, she would have latched onto her boys and never let them out of her sight for even a moment. But she had, and her boys had been snatched from her, never to be seen again.

"Honey, you need to stop blaming yourself for what happened in the past," John stated softly as he wrapped an arm around his disconsolate wife after seeing a tear slip down her cheek as she stared off into the distance. He knew Mary well enough to know that she was once again blaming herself for their boys having been taken from them so long ago. And if truth be told, he had blamed her at first, nearly ending their marriage, but then he had come to understand that Mary couldn't have helped but turn to that supposedly distressed mother in her time of need, it was what mother's instinctively do, especially ones like his Mary.

"But how can I John? It's my fault our boys were taken away from us nearly five years ago. If I had only been paying more attention, then they would have never been snatched away from us," Mary lamented as she laid her head against her husband's muscular chest in sorrow.

"Mar, you had no way of knowing that you were being set up by that hysterically screaming woman and the kidnapping ring she was thought to be a part of," John voiced as he carded his fingers through his wife's curly blonde locks.

"I know, but still…" Mary's voice drifted off as she remembered the police informing her and John that the boys were most likely taken by a group that had been working the tri-state Kansas area for just over two weeks.

"I know... I wish things could have been different too," John informed his wife with a sigh as he remembered the worst day of his life; the day the police came to the garage where he worked to inform him that his boys had been taken. It had been a rough few months afterwards, with him blaming his wife for what had happened and losing himself in a bottle of liquor, but he had pulled out of the depths of despair and somehow, he and Mary had managed to move on past their tragedy in hopes that their boys would be found. But here it was almost five years later and the police and FBI were no closer to finding the boys than when they had been taken.

"Do…Do you think they're okay?" Mary asked, glancing up at her solemn husband with tear-filled eyes. "I mean, surely they were placed in a loving home…"

"I wish I could answer that for you Sweetheart. I just try to keep focusing on the fact that if someone wanted children enough to pay for them, then hopefully…" John's voice drifted off, not really knowing what else to say.

"Yeah, but I guess it is something we'll never really know," Mary bemoaned, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes upon hearing the sound of footsteps in the hall.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Walking down the long hallway to the bedroom that the two brothers shared since arriving at the home, Mrs. Amelia Whitworth could only hope that they had found the right placement for the boys. John and Mary seemed like such a nice couple, people who would hopefully be understanding of the issues that little Joey and his big brother David were now dealing with because of the abuse and neglect the boys had suffered over the past few years. Sighing deeply as she placed her hand on the doorknob, she couldn't help but shudder at the memory of when the Department of Family and Children's Services had shown up at her door. Both boys were malnourished and exhibited some slight bruising, but what caught her attention the most was how little Joey shied away from her just at sight. She had always thought herself to be a very approachable person with a bright and happy personality, but the fear exhibited in that child's eyes when she gazed down at them, it was something that would forever be burned into her memory. Pulling herself together, she plastered on a smile that she really didn't feel, and then prepared to enter the room.

Pushing open the door as gently as possible, she was unsurprised at the sight of the two brothers huddled closely together on the bed with David firmly sitting in front of the nearly seven year old, ready to protect the child at all costs. He had been protective from the moment they arrived, stepping in front of the little boy when she had knelt down to greet them on that day so long ago.

From that point on, things had not changed over the two months that the boys had been with her in the group home as they waited to be fostered or adopted . Anytime someone even got close to little Joey, David made sure they backed off rather quickly until he was assured they meant his little brother no harm. She could remember that first night they had arrived and she walked to their room to bid them goodnight. She had been surprised to find them both lying in the same bed, though it was just barely big enough for one, or so she thought. She had tried to get David to go to his own bed, but quickly negated that notion when Joey had quickly begun to cry and David he had tensed up immediately as if readying himself for a fight. Knowing when to pick and choose her battles, she had decided to let the two boys share the bed if it would allow them to sleep in peace and bring each other much needed comfort.

Each night afterward she would check on them, letting them know that they were cared for and they were safe around her. It had taken seven long days before David had finally allowed her to tuck them into bed at night, bending down to lovingly brush a hand through their hair, as she did with the other young children in the home.

Strolling over to the boys, she kneeled down to be on their eye level.

"Are you boys ready to go meet your new foster parents?" She asked cheerfully, though in truth she felt like crying. She would miss the boys something fierce.

"Guess we don't have a choice," David answered resignedly, wrapping an arm around Joey's shoulder and pulling him in close. He dreaded the idea of having to go to another new place and learn the rules. But most of all, he dreaded finding out just what these new foster parents would be like. He could slightly remember having been happy once, but that was so long ago that sometimes, he wondered if those thoughts were even real. Maybe he had only dreamt of having parents who truly cared about him and his baby brother instead of ones who constantly yelled at them, sometimes hitting them both when they had supposedly done wrong.

"David, I think you and Joey will really like these people," Mrs. Whitworth stated as she placed a comforting hand on each boy's shoulder. "They seem really nice and they're very excited about having the two of you live in their home."

"Yeah, well I sure hope you're right," David voiced worriedly before chewing on his bottom lip. He didn't want to think about being with people who forced him to sit there and watch as they berated his baby brother to the point where the kid thought he truly deserved to be punished. He had tried to protect his sibling as much as he could, but he was only eleven years old and could only do so much against their muscular brute of a father with his mean temper and acidic tongue over the past few years.

"I think you'll find that I am, so if you will, please follow me" Amelia stated as she rose to a standing position and waited for the boys to climb off the bed before starting towards the door. She had thoroughly checked the backgrounds of John and Mary Winchester and was truly hoping that the boys and the parents would be perfect for each other, they together, they could heal the broken hearts of each other.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Anxiously waiting for the meeting to occur, John and Mary both thought about the coming moment. They had decided six months ago to try fostering after the police had come to visit and said they had no more solid leads on the kidnapping and that the boys had most likely been transported out of the country never to be seen again, each knowing instinctively that they could never survive the loss of another child of their own.

Standing as the sound of footsteps drew even closer, John and Mary couldn't wait to meet the children they would be taking into their home. So far, all that had been told was that the children were boys who were raised in an abusive home and that they were wary of all adults and needed foster parents who would understand them, love them and nurture them through the days to come.

Grasping each other's hands, John and Mary both stood in shock as the door opened and they lay eyes on the two boys standing before them. It took their breath away to see the eldest child, who looked so much like their Dean with his blonde hair and freckles that Mary literally gasped aloud upon seeing him.

Giving Mary's hand a quick squeeze in an effort to give her a moment to pull herself together, John knelt down in front of the children and gazed into their eyes. "It's so nice to meet you boys," he said as he reached out to palm their cheeks, his heart clenching with sadness when both backed away from him warily as his own mind tried to reconcile what he was seeing with his brain. Could these boys actually be the ones that were stolen from him and Mary so long ago or was it just wishful thinking on their part?

**TBC… That is, if you wish to read more. Let me know your thoughts on whether to trash it or keep going.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Coming Home Ch. 2**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**AN: Thanks to my anonymous reviewers who I could not directly respond to. Liza, I promise you, it won't be long (just a few more chapters) before the names Dean and Sammy are used to refer to the boys.**

**Previously:** _Giving Mary's hand a quick squeeze in an effort to give her a moment to pull herself together John knelt down in front of the children and gazed into their eyes. "It's so nice to meet you boys," he said as he reached out to palm their cheeks, his heart clenching with sadness when both boys backed away from him warily as his own mind tried to reconcile what he was seeing with his brain. Could these boys actually be the ones that were stolen from him and Mary so long ago or was it just wishful thinking on their part?_

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," John voiced sadly as he withdrew his hands and lowered them by his side. In his eagerness to connect with the boys that may or may not be his, he had inadvertently pushed then away instead.

"S'okay, just warn a person the next time you plan to lay your mitts on them," David warned, as he looked the man and his wife over. They looked slightly familiar, but he just couldn't place where he had seen their faces before. Maybe it was when he had been sifting through the files of potential foster parents on Mrs. Whitworth's desk without her knowledge. Yeah, that had to be it.

"I'll do my best to remember that," John affirmed as he glanced from the elder boy to the younger. "Hey there sport."

"H-hi," Joey, _or could it be Sammy,_ voiced shyly before stepping back behind his big brother and peeking around to look at the two unfamiliar adults in the room. He wasn't sure what to make of them, but he knew enough to respond to the man when he talked directly to him for fear of reprisal.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Tiger. You don't have to hide from me," John informed the youngster who seemed a bit small for his age.

"That's right you know. He's just a big teddy bear at heart," Mary supplied lovingly, having pulled herself together enough to enter into the conversation. She desperately wanted to pull the boys into her arms, but knew that her touch would be shunned for now also after witnessing the way the two children reacted to John's touch.

"Yeah, well we'll be the judge of that," David declared as he wrapped a protective arm around his sibling and drew him to his side. He wasn't going to believe anything the adults had to say until they proved themselves truthful over time. It didn't take him and his baby brother long to learn that adults lied and would willingly hurt you every chance they got.

"That works for us," John acquiesced as he looked at Mary who readily agreed with her husband's statement. It was obvious that they were going to have to gain the boys trust, before the two would ever accept them as their family. And to do that, they had to let the boys take the lead. He knew it would be a long road ahead, but they would stay the course as long as it took, whether or not these boys turned out to be truly theirs or not.

"Fantastic, then if you will please excuse us Mr. And Mrs. Winchester, I will take the boys back to their room so they can start packing their belongings for the trip to your house tomorrow," Mrs. Whitworth stated as she placed an arm around each boy who had become so near and dear to her heart during the short amount of time they had been with her.

"Yes Ma'am, we'll be looking forward to their arrival tomorrow," John replied as he wrapped an arm around Mary's shoulder in support, too afraid to hope, but yet also afraid not to.

"John, do you think…I mean, could it be…" Mary stuttered as she tried to form a coherent question about whether or not John though the boys could actually be their own children.

"I wish to God I knew Mary, but we can't say anything, not to anybody until we find out for sure," John answered as he grasped his wife's hand and started leading her towards the front door of the group home. He wanted to believe so badly, but was also afraid to leave himself wide open for a big letdown.

"I know. It's just; I can't stand the thought of walking out of here and not taking the boys with us. It's like I am losing them all over again," Mary sobbed, as John pulled her into his chest and hugged her tight. She couldn't explain it, but she knew deep in heart that those boys were Dean and Sammy.

"It'll be okay Darling, just wait and see. The boys will be with us tomorrow morning and then you'll never have to let them out of your sight again," John asserted as he led his sobbing wife out the front door and down to the sidewalk where the Impala was parked by the curb.

**Upstairs at the group home**

Watching through the upstairs window as the married couple traversed down the sidewalk and to a black car, the elder brother couldn't help but wonder what would happen tomorrow when he and his baby brother were left in the couple's care. He so wanted to believe the man when he said he wouldn't hurt them, but it was too ingrained in his mind that most people lied and that he and that no one could be trusted. Hell, he was sure that after a few days of being with those people that he and his sibling would be hiding in closets yet again, trying to escape the pain and mental anguish that always came their way.

"David, do you need me to help you start packing?" Mrs. Whitworth questioned as she helped little Joey fold his jeans and place them in a carry all. She couldn't help but notice how tense the young man seemed to be as he stood at the window watching the events down below.

"No ma'am, I can do it," the young man answered as he turned around and gifted her with a true smile. Mrs. Whitworth was the only person who had ever been nice to him and his baby brother and he knew that at least with her, they were safe. But now, now their world was about to be turned upside down again and he just didn't know if they could survive the upheaval with their sanity and bodies intact.

"Okay, you might want to start packing then. It will be bedtime soon and you want to be ready to go to your new home tomorrow without delay, don't you?" Amelia queried as she sat down on the bed and pulled young Joey into her lap

"I guess so."

"David, you don't have to worry sweetie. I promise you these are good people. We have done a very thorough background check on them and they are good people. We would have never let them near you and this little one here is they weren't," Amelia informed the worried pre-teen.

Acknowledging the statement with a nod of his head, David left the window once the car pulled away and set about packing his clothes.

**Later that night**

"Honey, you need to try and get some sleep," John voiced as he carded his fingers through Mary's golden blonde locks as she snuggled up to his chest in their king sized bed.

"I know, but I'm just too wired to sleep right now," Mary responded as she used glided her fingers through the hairs on her husband's muscular chest. "I'm worried that I might have forgotten something and I want everything to be perfect for the boys when they arrive tomorrow."

"Baby, I don't think there is a snowball's chance in hell of that happening. I mean, you've totally redone Sammy's nursery into a room a seven year old would be proud to have and Dean's room would make any teen boy jealous with the way you've decorated it with sports stuff and rock band posters," John informed his wife with a smile. "Joey and David will be elated when they see the rooms."

Mary had been working on redecorating the rooms from the moment they had been contacted about fostering the abused brothers a couple of weeks ago. At first, she had had a rough time, putting away baby Sammy's things and Dean's toys after so long of making sure the rooms were left undisturbed, but now, now she was filled with joy knowing that her boys, _because that's who they were and no one could tell her different_, were coming back home and her house would be filled with love once again.

"Do you really think so sweetie"?" Mary asked as she placed her head on John's bare chest so she could listen to the beating of his heart. "I just want them to be happy."

"Mar, you know it's going to take some time right? I mean, the boys have been mentally abused for years and sometimes physically also according the Department of Family and Children's Services. It's going to take them some time to adjust. Everything isn't going to be perfect right from the start." John intoned; wanting to make sure Mary fully understood the ramifications.

"I know that Sweetheart, I do. But I also know that with the love we're going to shower them with, those boys will overcome everything they have been through and be the sweet loving boys we both know they can be," Mary replied as she wrapped an arm around her husband as best she could and then close her eyes to go to sleep, held in the arms of the one she loved most.

"I sure hope so," John murmured as he watched his wife slowly fade off to sleep. It scared him to death to think something could go wrong and he and Mary would be left devastated, never to recover from losing the boys again, if indeed, Joey and David turned out to be Dean and Sammy.

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Coming Home Ch. 3**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**AN: Pease forgive me, I was not able to answer all the reviews in the last chapter due to lack of time. Just know that I really do appreciate each and every one of them!**

**Previously:** _"I sure hope so," John murmured as he watched his wife slowly fade off to sleep. It scared him to death to think something could go wrong and he and Mary would be left devastated, never to recover from losing the boys again, if indeed, Joey and David really turned out to be Dean and Sammy._

"It's almost 11:00. The boys should be here soon," Mary voiced excitedly as she once again pushed back the curtains to peek out the front bay window for what must have been the tenth time in about fifteen minutes.

"Mary, Honey, you need to calm down or you're going to overwhelm the boys with your enthusiasm when they do arrive," John warned lightly as he palmed his wife's cheek with his calloused hands and pulled her in for a kiss. He had taken the next few days off from the garage where he worked to be there for the boys in their initial adjustment to being in a new home.

"I'm sorry, I just can't help it. I've waited for this moment for so long and I want everything to be perfect," Mary crooned as she once again surveyed the area within her sight. She had rearranged the living room area to make it a little roomier for the two children knowing that boys sometimes liked to relax on the floor when watching television. She had even went grocery shopping earlier and bought foods that she hoped the boys would like as well as some snacks such as ice cream and chocolate chip cookies since they were a standard staple for most children's diets whether their parents liked it or not.

"I'm sure everything will be fine. With the way they've grown up, the boys probably aren't used to getting much at all and will be bewildered by all that you've done for them," John stated sadly as he thought about what the caseworker had told him and Mary concerning the boy's lives before escaping from their abusive home. If he ever got his hands on the people who hurt those two boys, he would make sure they were shown no mercy.

"Maybe I should make some sandwiches for lunch or something. They might be hungry when they get here," Mary said as she thrummed her fingers nervously upon the window ledge. "What do you think they'll want? Boys like peanut butter and jelly, right, or maybe ham and cheese sandwiches?"

"Whichever you make will be fine," John assured his wife with a grin. " I'll find a bag of chips to go with them."

"I bought one of those variety packs they just came out with; you know…the kind that has lots of different bags of chips in them. Just pull that out and the boys can decide which chips they want to have with their sandwiches," Mary informed her husband as she grasped a loaf of bread and then set about getting the other stuff to make the sandwiches. She would make both the PB&J and the ham and cheese so that hopefully, everyone would be happy.

"Sure Sweetheart, whatever you say," John voiced as he walked over to the pantry in the corner of the kitchen and found the box that Mary was referring to. Placing the box on the table beside the sandwiches that Mary had just finished, they soon heard the unmistakable sound of a car pulling into their driveway.

"They're here," Mary announced needlessly as she quickly placed some plastic wrap over the tray of sandwiches to keep them fresh so that she and John could go welcome the boys.

"Well, let's go greet our charges," John voiced with a big smile as he reached his hand out to grasp his wife's as he lead her from the kitchen and to the front door where they went out to stand on the porch, each eagerly awaiting the reunion with the two boys they already loved.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Parking her silver toned 1985 Buick LaSabre in the driveway of the Winchester home, Mrs. Amelia Whitworth smiled as she looked up at the white two story house with the nice big shade tree in front of it. It had a nice spacious front yard with plenty of room for playing or tossing a football for the boys and the tree even sported a tire swing that hung down low from one of its massive limbs, just waiting for a youngster to swing on. She desperately hoped the boys would be happy here as the two of them really deserved to have a loving family after everything they had been through.

"Okay boys, are you ready to go inside and see your new home?" Amelia asked after turning around to address the nervous boys who sat in the backseat of her car, Joey sitting right next to David who had an arm firmly wrapped around his younger sibling.

"Whatever," David sighed as he squeezed his brother's shoulder in support before thrusting the backdoor open and sliding out, Joey mimicking the movement scant moments later, while Mrs. Whitworth climbed from behind the wheel with her brown leather attaché case firmly in hand.

Glancing up at his big brother as they started towards the porch, Joey pulled on his elder sibling's shirt and whispered, "I'm scared," as tears began to glisten in his eyes

"You have nothing to be scared of Squirt. As long as I'm around, ain't nothing bad gonna happen to you," David intoned, even though he knew those words didn't always hold true. He had tried his best to protect his baby brother, but there were times that the kid had been hurt regardless of how much he tried to keep it from happening. Taking a deep, calming breath, David held his head high as he reached out to take his sibling's hand and then led him up the concrete walkway with Mrs. Whitworth right by their sides. As he looked at the house, he couldn't help but think that the place looked slightly familiar somehow.

"Good morning John and Mary, I trust that you have slept well," Amelia stated as she acknowledged the two adults standing on the front porch.

"Yes we did," John responded, holding his right hand out in greeting as Mrs. Whitworth sat down her briefcase on the wooden porch. Turning his attention to the two boys with her, he could see that both were somewhat nervous and it upset him to see the tears glistening in little Joey's eyes as the child shimmied slightly behind his brother as if seeking protection. Kneeling down to Joey's level, he pasted on his brightest smile.

"I sure am happy to see you boys this morning," John expressed jovially, trying to put the boys at ease. "Are you hungry? We've made some sandwiches for lunch."

"I guess I could eat something," David agreed, though he didn't know if his stomach was up to handling food at the moment. He knew not to turn the food down though because the next meal could be a long time in coming if these adults were anything like…well, he didn't want to even think about it.

"What about you Sa-Joey? Would you like a sandwich and some chips?" Mary inquired, catching herself before calling the little one Sammy, as she too knelt down and then reached out to caress the little boy's cheek.

"Yes Ma'am," Joey voiced softly before chewing on his bottom lip and turning his face into David's side.

"Well okay then, let's all go in and eat," John stated as he stood up and reached out to open the screen door so that he could usher everyone inside.

"Mr. Winchester, I would really like to stay and enjoy the sandwiches with all of you, but I need to get back to the other children. Would you mind walking me to the car so that you can get the boys suitcases?" Mrs. Whitworth asked.

"Sure, I'd love to," John agreed, waiting for Mrs. Whitworth to say her goodbyes to the boys before following her out to her car.

**~~A few moments later~~**

Encouraging the boys to sit down at the wooden mahogany table, Mary uncovered the platter of sandwiches and then opened the box with the various assortment of chips while John pulled out some glasses from the cupboard to pour them all a glass of sweet tea.

"Help yourselves boys," Mary prompted when the boys just sat there for a few moments and looked at the sandwiches.

Reaching out to grab one of the ham and cheese sandwiches, David placed it on his younger brother's plate before getting another to place in front of himself.

Hesitantly taking a bag of Fritos cornchips from the box, Joey opened the small bag and then dumped the chips on his plate beside his sandwich as John placed a glass of tea beside him. Of course, he was startled by the unexpected appearance of John at his side and accidentally knocked the glass of tea over.

"Oh crap," John gasped loudly, as the tea spilled everywhere, without thinking about how it would affect the small boy in front of him so he was totally unprepared when Joey reacted and threw his hands up in front of his face in sheer terror.

"I'mmmmm sorrrrrry, I diddddn't meannnn toooo" the child stammered in unabashed fear with tears flowing down his face before he slid off the chair and under the table, David quickly following him to the assumed place of safety at this point.

"Shhh, s'okay, I've got you," David cooed as he wrapped his arms around his distressed sibling and began to rock him back and forth. He could tell by the look in his baby brother's eyes that Joey was remembering a time when he had paid dearly for spilling a glass of milk, David unable to prevent the vicious backhanded slap to the face that Joey took from their bastard of a father.

Feeling very ashamed for his overreaction to the spilt tea, John quickly knelt to look under the table, only to have David give him the coldest glare he had ever seen on a pre-teen's face before he then pulled his younger brother further away from the perceived threat of what he thought was going to happen.

"Le-Leave us alone," David warned, prepared to take a hit from the man if it kept him from hitting Joey.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare either of you," John apologized as he witnessed Mary kneel down beside him from the side of his eye. "I was an idiot for reacting the way I did. It won't happen again."

"You me-You mean Joey's not in tr-trouble for spilling the tea?" David asked, not quite sure what to make of things. "You're not going to h-hit him or me or anything?"

"Of course not, it was an accident," John answered with a smile, though inside was he was burning up with anger, ready to kill the ones who had put the boys through so much anguish. "And in_ this _house, we don't hit children, no matter what," John added, wanting the boys to know they were safe with him and Mary.

"That's right," Mary agreed as she reached out a hand and lightly began to rub Joey's leg, hoping that it would somehow comfort the lightly sobbing child. "Won't you two please come out from under the table and at least eat a sandwich. I promise, we're not going to hurt either of you."

"Can-Can we just go to our room?" David asked with a heartfelt plea as he glanced at Mary with solemn eyes. There was no way neither he nor Joey would be able to eat at the table now.

"Sure," Mary answered affirmatively, even though she was saddened that they boys wanted to be alone right now. She had hoped they could start bonding as a family through lunch.

Guiding Joey out from the table after a lot of encouragement that everything really would be okay, David waited for John and Mary to lead them to their room, he had a baby brother to calm and take care of.

**TBC. So, are you still interested and want to read more?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Coming Home Ch. 4**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**Previously**_**:**__ Guiding Joey out from the table after a lot of encouragement that everything really would be okay, David waited for John and Mary to lead them to their room, he had a baby brother to calm and take care of._

Following the Winchesters up the stairs, David kept an armed firmly wrapped around his baby brother's shoulders. The kid was still trembling after the spilt tea incident and all he wanted was for the two of them to be left alone so that he could calm his sibling enough that Joey could hopefully manage to take a small nap. He knew how much these kinds of incidents weighed heavily on his sibling and that meant Joey would be dealing with night terrors throughout the night tonight.

Arriving at the top of the stairs, Mary led the small group down the short hallway and to the room on the left. "This is your room Joey," she announced as she opened the door and the stepped aside to allow the boys to enter.

Walking past the adults, David couldn't help the slight shiver that encompassed him, waiting to see if John's hand would reach out and grab either him or his brother by the hair of the head and snatch them back. Breathing a sigh of relief as they passed by unhindered, he gave the room a good once over. The first thing he noticed was that the bed was kind of small for the two of them, but he and Sam could make do sleeping on it. They had slept on worse. Grimacing a little at the posters of airplanes and trains on the walls, he wished the walls had been adorned with rock bands and stuff like that instead. But hey, hopefully Joey would like it.

Startling a little when a still sniffling Joey walked away from his side, he watched as his little brother strolled over to the small toy chest in the room and he hoped the kid wasn't disappointed to open the lid of the toy chest and find it empty.

"C-Cool," Joey whispered reverently upon opening the toy box as he reached in and pulled out a stuffed dog and hugged it to his chest before pulling out a big box of Legos. "De, will you help me b-build something?"

"Sure I will, Little Dude," David answered, surprised that Joey had reverted to using the nickname he had used to call him so long ago until Norman (because he refused to refer to the man as Dad anymore) informed Joey he wasn't some damn sniveling baby and to quit talking like one, lest he bust his ass.

Sucking in a stuttered breath upon hearing the whispered "De," Mary's hand immediately flew up to cover her mouth in astonishment and she immediately turned her head towards John, her heart feeling as though it was beating a thousand times per minute.

"That's what Sammy used to call Dean," Mary muttered softly enough so that the boys wouldn't hear.

"I-I remember," John voiced with a bewildered tone, feeling as if he took a hard blow to the solar plexus. Sammy's first word hadn't been "Mama" or "Dada"; it had been "De."

"Something wrong?" David asked warily upon glancing over to see the married couple standing there with pale faces and staring at him and his brother.

"No-No, there's nothing wrong. Everything is perfect as a matter of fact," Mary answered with a huge smile after having pulled herself together. "Would you like to see your room now De-uh-David?'

"Wh-what?" David stammered out upon hearing the question. He had never even once considered the possibility that he wouldn't be sharing a room with his brother.

"Don't you want to go see your room now," Mary repeated as she motioned for David to stand up and follow them.

"No, please, don't make De leave," Joey stammered as he reached out and wrapped his arms firmly around his big brother's neck in fear. "Please let him stay with me. I'll be good, I promise. I won't spill no more tea."

"I hate to tell you lady, but I ain't leaving him no matter what you and John say," David enunciated with venom in his voice upon hearing his sibling's plea, while rubbing a hand up and down his brother's back as he did so. They could do whatever they wanted to him, but come hell or high water, he and his brother was staying in the same room.

"Oh honey, you don't have to. I just thought you boys would like your own rooms. If you want to stay together, that's okay," Mary immediately articulated as tears sprung to her eyes. "We'll go shopping later and get a bigger bed for the two of you to sleep on."

"We don't need a new bed. That one over there is just fine. Actually it's a lot better than some of the things we've slept in before so you can just keep your money and don't worry about us," David stated as a matter of fact.

"Still, I'd like to make sure that you two have enough room to stretch out if you need to when sleeping," Mary informed her eldest, because that is who he had to be.

"Whatever. Can the two of you just leave us alone now?" David asked as Joey leaned against him in near exhaustion.

"Of course, just holler if you need anything," John agreed, knowing that the boys were probably overwhelmed and just needed some time to take everything in.

**~~Supernatural~~**

"De, I'm really sorry I messed things up on our first day here. Daddy was right, I'm nothing but a no good loser," Joey sadly voiced as he lay on the bed, close to his big brother's side after John and Mary exited the room and left the two of them alone together.

"Don't you say that Kiddo, Norman was wrong," David stated as he reached out to push away the chestnut colored bangs that had fallen into his brother's eyes. "And don't call him Daddy. He doesn't deserve the title."

"But look what I did. Now the Winchesters will probably get tired of us and we'll have to leave another home," Joey retorted, his bottom lip quivering as he tried to hold back the tears.

"I think you're wrong there Little Man. They seem to really like us for some reason. But if they would get tired of us, we could just go back to the group home with Mrs. Whitworth. That wouldn't be so bad, would it?" David asked as he brushed away a lone tear that started to traverse down his brother's cheek

"I guess not," Joey voiced with a sigh as he snuggled further into his brother's side.

"Hey Joey, do you remember what name I used to call you a long time ago when you were around three years old?" David asked, trying to focus his sibling's attention elsewhere as he wrapped an arm around his brother, providing the comfort that the little one was seeking.

"No," Joey said as he turned his head up to glance at his sibling. "What did you used to call me?"

"Sammy."

"Why'd you call me that?" Joey inquired inquisitively. It wasn't anything like what he was expecting.

"It's been so long ago that I really can't remember. I think maybe it was a nickname I gave you or something," David answered as he thought back to that time to retrieve the memory, but found himself unable to do so.

"Why did you stop? I think I kind of like it."

"Well, I had to because that bastard Norman heard me calling you Sammy one day and he washed my mouth out with soap for like ten minutes. Then when he was finished, he told me if I ever called you Sammy again that he would beat us both with a belt until we couldn't sit down properly for months," David answered with a faraway look on his face. "I couldn't chance him doing that to us, especially to you, so I stopped."

"Why did he hate us so much, De?"

"I guess because we got in the way of his dreams of making it big someday," David replied as he thought how much Norman grumbled when he was drunk about making millions in Vegas if it hadn't be for having to raise the two stupid brats that his wife had wanted so badly.

"De' do you think that John and Mary r-really like us?" Joey asked with a yawn as his eyes started to droop.

"Sure they do. What's not to like?" David replied confidently, though inside, he was very unsure of whether or not his words were true. "Now how about you quit all this talking and get some rest."

"M'not sleepy," Joey retorted as he struggled to stay awake just a little bit longer.

"Sure you're not, Munchkin," David snickered as his sibling's eyes closed and a soft snore escaped his mouth just a few moments later. "Sleep well Kiddo, I'll be here to watch over you and protect you until you wake up."

**~~Meanwhile in the kitchen downstairs~~**

"John, what are we going to do? I know that David and Joey are Dean and Sammy. But how are we going to prove it?" Mary asked nervously as she bustled around the kitchen trying to get things cleaned up from the earlier spill. "I mean, should we tell them and get a DNA test done or something?"

"I honestly don't know, Mar. I mean, the boys are still very skittish around us and if we suddenly start claiming that they are really ours, we might scare them off or something. And what if by some chance this is all a fluke. I don't want to raise those boys' hopes, only to dash them if it turns out …"

"Don't even say it John. They're ours. I know they are," Mary expressed strongly as she took out the damp mop to mop up the stickiness that was left on the floor by the spilt tea.

"I sure hope you're right Baby," John surmised, since there was very little evidence to prove his wife correct…her mother's intuition and the fact that Joey had called David by the same nickname Sammy had given his big brother at the tender age of two.

"There's gotta be something we can do," Mary bemoaned as she finished the mopping and then put the mop away. "I just have to know that my intuition is right, that these boys really are my babies, _**our **_babies."

"I guess maybe we could try to get a sample of their hair and get it tested," John theorized as he tugged a hand through his own dark hair. "Or maybe after they brush their teeth later tonight, we could put their toothbrushes in a Ziploc bag for testing?"

"Yeah, either one of those ideas should work," Mary agreed as her heart began to swell with happiness. They would soon know for sure beyond the shadow of a doubt, what she knew to be true in her heart; their boys were finally home where they belonged.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Coming Home Ch. 5**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**Previously**_**:**__ "I guess maybe we could try to get a sample of their hair and get it tested," John theorized as he tugged a hand through his own dark hair. "Or maybe after they brush their teeth in the morning, we could put their toothbrushes in a Ziploc bag for testing?"_

"_Yeah, either one of those ideas should work," Mary agreed as her heart began to swell with happiness. They would soon know for sure beyond the shadow of a doubt, what she knew to be true in her heart; their boys were finally home where they belonged._

A couple of hours later found John and Mary making their way up the stairs to check on the boys. They hadn't heard any noises coming from the room, so they couldn't help but be concerned whether or not the boys were okay. Turning the knob gently, John softly eased the door open. Smiling at the sight that nearly took his breath away, he eased the door open even further to allow Mary to see the precious scene, that of David (or was it actually Dean) with his arm wrapped protectively around Joey/Sammy, both held firmly within the arms of slumber.

Silently wiping away the lone tear that traveled down her cheek, Mary sighed wistfully at all the missed moments like this; moments that she should have gotten to witness, but had been deprived of instead because of the boys having been taken from them at such an early age. She would never be able to get those years back and that alone made her want to hunt down and kill the bastards who took these sweet precious boys away from them.

"Do you think we should wake them?" Mary questioned with a slight sniffle as she wiped away a second tear. "I mean, they didn't eat any lunch and it will be time to make dinner soon."

"Yeah, that and we don't want the boys to be awake half the night tonight because of having gotten too much sleep now," John agreed as he leaned over to give his wife a quick peck on the cheek.

Traipsing over to the bed, John bent down and placed a hand on the eldest child's shoulder to wake him, Scant second later, he suddenly found himself rubbing a sore jaw and sitting on the floor after having been knocked on his derriere in splendid fashion.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Drifting in that state where he wasn't fully asleep but not quite awake yet either, David thought he could hear the buzz of voices softly in the distance, but it was not enough to draw him to full wakefulness, that was until he felt an unfamiliar touch on his shoulder. Knowing that his baby brother lay sleeping beside him, he did the only thing he knew to do to protect the kid and threw out a punch in anger without taking the time to think about it first. He and his younger sibling had been dragged out of their beds one too many times because Norman had been extremely drunk and felt like knocking them around for a little while. Feeling the pain as his fist connected with the person's face, he opened his eyes and gasped upon seeing John Winchester sitting on the floor and palming his right cheek.

"Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to h-hit you," David voiced as he began to slightly tremble upon noticing the older man getting to his feet. He was sure to have his behind handed to him on a stick now.

"De' something wrong" Joey questioned anxiously, as he was pulled from the throes of sleep as tension ramped up in the room. He didn't know what had happened; only that something was upsetting his big brother.

"No sweetie, everything is okay," Mary answered as she took a quick moment to assess the quickly reddening right cheek of her husband. John would most likely develop a light bruise by morning, but nothing had been broken.

"I…I," David stammered as he waited for punishment that was sure to come. Damn it, why did he have to react so negatively.

"It's okay son," John voiced as he stood back from the bed, sure that his approach would have a negative effect on the scared youngsters in front of him. "It's my fault; I shouldn't have grasped your shoulder like that when you were sleeping.

"Huh," David stammered bewilderedly as his lower jaw dropped open in shock. He didn't understand these people. This was the second time the man had apologized to either him or his brother when he was absolutely certain they had been in for an ass kicking.

"It really is okay," Mary voiced softly as she walked over and sat down on the bed, reaching out to palm the pre-teen's cheek, automatically halting the movement when the boy flinched. "Listen, it's nearly time for me to start supper, so why don't you and your brother go outside and play and I'll call you two in when it's ready."

"Can we play on the tire swing?" Joey asked excitedly at the prospect of actually doing something he had never done before. He had seen other kids do it and it looked like a lot of fun.

"Sure, and I'll even push the two of you on it if you would like," John offered as a peace offering, trying to find a way to spend quality time with the boys if they would allow him.

"I'll just push Joey myself if that's alright?" David questioned, not yet ready to allow the man to be in such close proximity of his baby brother. Sure, John seemed nice enough and hadn't hurt them yet, but that didn't mean that he wasn't just trying to get into their good graces before lowering the boom on them. No, he would keep things on the safe side for the time being.

"Okay, well if you change your mind, just let me know," John voiced sadly knowing that the boys still did not trust them in the least little bit. Well, they would just have to try harder. Come hell or high water, he was going to make sure that the boys knew that they were safe and loved with him and Mary, even if it turned out the boys weren't really theirs.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Watching the two boys through the window above the sink as she washed up a few dishes from lunch, Mary smiled brightly upon hearing the loud giggles coming through the partly opened window. It had been the first time she heard Sammy _(because that's who he had to be) _laugh since he had arrived and it was a sound that warmed her heart more than anything else ever could. Just a few short weeks ago, it was a sound that she never thought she would ever hear again. Glancing over to the doorway as John walked in, she motioned for him to walk over to the window.

"Have you ever heard a more wonderful sound in your life?" she asked as the sound of her youngest child's voice drifted over to them from the window _'push me higher De.'_

"No, can't say that I have," John voiced as he stood behind Mary and wrapped his arms around her waist so they could gaze out the window together. Smiling wistfully, he remembered the last day he had had with his children before they had been taken away. He and Dean had tossed a football back and forth to each other in the front yard as Mary rocked Sammy and hummed a lullaby as she watched them from the front porch.

"John, are you okay honey?" Mary questioned worriedly, drawing John from his reverie with the sound of her soft voice. "I was asking you a question, but you never replied."

"Yeah, I was just thinking about how wonderful it is to have those two out there enjoying themselves the way they are," John answered as he focused his attention back on his wife. "'Now, what was it you asked?"

"I just wanted to know if you would be fine with us having spaghetti for supper this evening," Mary said as she wiped her hands on her apron and then set about getting the pot and skillet she would need to make the meal.

"Yeah, whatever you make is fine with me. You know how much I love your cooking Sweetheart," John answered as he walked over to the refrigerator and pulled a cold beer from the shelf.

Walking into the living room and settling on the couch where he could watch a little television as he waited for dinner to be prepared, John heard the sound of feet treading across their wooden porch and looked up just in time to see the boys walk inside.

"Hey boys, you two finished playing already?" John inquired before raising the bottle to his lips to take a swig of the cold brew in his hand. He couldn't help but notice the way that Joey immediately ambled behind his big brother and began to tremble in fear.

"Sa-Joey, what is it? What's wrong?" John asked, nearly referring to the boy as Sammy by mistake.

"Noth-nothing. Joey just has to p-pee," David stammered, trying to keep his own fear at bay at seeing the man drinking.

"Come on, I know something's wrong. Please tell me what I did. I can't change it if I don't know what has you two so upset," John pleaded as sat the beer down on the end table and gazed at the eldest imploringly. It was then that he noticed the way David kept his gaze focused on the amber colored bottle of beer.

"It's the beer isn't it?" John queried as he looked once again at the boys.

"It's…it's just that Norman, our Dad, used to drink a lot. And when he did, he was a really mean drunk," David answered, hoping it didn't cause the two of them more trouble. If John was a mean drunk too, it was best to find out now and deal with the ramifications, than stay here for a couple of months and have to leave after Joey started thinking of the place as home.

"Damn, I'm sorry. If I had known how much me having a beer would upset you two, I would have emptied them down the sink immediately," John informed the boys as he stood up and walked towards the kitchen so he could dispose of the half-filled bottle. "I'll get rid of this right now."

"You-You don't have to," David informed the man, pulling Joey close and shielding him with his own body when John got within reaching distance of the two of them.

"I want to," John stated, making sure not to seem threatening as he passed the boys and went into the kitchen where he poured the rest of his beer down the sink, Mary eyeing the event questioningly.

Watching as John emptied the bottle, David nodded his head in satisfaction. "Okay, I'm just going to take Joey to the bathroom then."

"After he's finished, make sure you both wash your hands," Mary informed the boys as she mixed up the pot of spaghetti, hoping that the boys would actually manage to eat this time. "Supper is nearly ready."

"We will," David informed his foster mother before ushering his sibling up the stairs, breathing a sigh in relief at knowing that maybe John and Mary did actually care. Maybe he and his sibling had a chance for a happy life with these two people, but then he also knew chances were that his hopes would most likely be dashed.

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

**Coming Home Ch. 6**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one. **

**Author's Note: I'm sorry for being so slack on reviews lately. I feel awful for not having replied and will do my best to get back to you on your reviews with this chapter. **

**Previously**_**:**__ "After he's finished, make sure you both wash your hands," Mary informed the boys as she mixed up the pot of spaghetti, hoping that the boys would actually manage to eat this time. "Supper is nearly ready."_

"_We will," David informed his foster mother before ushering his sibling up the stairs, breathing a sigh in relief at knowing that maybe John and Mary did actually care since John was so willing to pour out his beer. Maybe he and his sibling had a chance for a happy life with these two people, but then he also knew their luck which meant his hopes would most likely be dashed._

Watching as the children scampered off, Mary then turned to her husband. "Honey, what just happened? I think that's the first time I've actually seen acceptance of the two of us in Dean, I mean David's, eyes."

"I'm hoping he finally realizes that maybe he can trust us, if only just a little" John answered as he tossed the empty beer bottle into the trash can hidden under the sink.

"Why, what happened? I mean that's the first time you've ever poured a half- drank beer down the drain," Mary voiced as she began to rinse some lettuce so that she could make a salad to go with the meal. Don't get her wrong, John wasn't a hard drinker; he just liked to have one after work and such to help him relax.

"Turns out the bastard that raised the boys over the past few years was a mean drunk," John reported somberly as he looked at his wife. "When David, informed me of that, well, let's just say there is no way in hell I am drinking in front of those boys again, at least not in the foreseeable future anyway."

"You are such an awesome father," Mary responded as she turned around and hugged the man she loved with all of her heart. "Me and the boys are so lucky to have you."

"I'm the one who's lucky," John retorted as he returned his wife's hug before kissing her deeply.

"Ummm, should we go back upstairs?" David asked awkwardly as he and Joey came back down the stairs just in time to witness the two adults kissing.

"No, it's alright," Mary voiced with a laugh as she pulled away from her husband and grabbed the pot of spaghetti to place on the table while John grabbed the bowl of salad. "Besides, it's time for dinner. I don't know about the three of you, but I'm starving."

"Me too," John replied as he pulled out a chair for his wife to sit on, while motioning for the boys to take a seat also. As he waited for Mary to sit, he couldn't help but notice how hesitant Joey (_or was he Sammy) _seemed, as he stood staring at the table, unwilling or unable to approach it.

"You know Kiddo, you don't have to be scared of something else happening," John informed the youngest, hoping to take away some of the anxiety the child was feeling at the moment. "I have a bad habit myself of making sloppy messes at the table, especially when it comes to eating spaghetti."

"He sure does," Mary agreed as she grabbed one of the plates from the table and placed some spaghetti on it before placing the now full plate at one of the empty spots since David had yet to take a seat also. "But it's fine because messes can always be easily cleaned up with a little soap and water

"So, what you're saying is Joey won't get in trouble if he accidentally makes another mess?" David questioned, just to clarify things for his younger sibling.

"No, he won't. I promise," Mary answered with a smile and a slight wink at her knowing husband. "If I punished people for making messes, John would be in trouble all the time. So you two stop fretting and come eat."

"'Kay," Joey whispered, glancing at his big brother before walking over and sitting down in the spot where Mary had placed the plate full of spaghetti since he really was famished.

"That's my boy," John cooed with a smile, reaching out to ruffle the child's chestnut brown locks, elated when the child only slightly trembled at the affectionate touch.

"What about you David, aren't you hungry?" Mary questioned softly as she turned her attention towards the oldest who stood transfixed in the entryway of the kitchen as he watched Joey roll up some spaghetti onto the fork and take a bite.

"Yes Ma'am. I could eat," David stated as he walked over to the table and sat down within close proximity of his brother, but he couldn't help but wonder how long this 'home sweet home' scene would last. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was the fact that he and his sibling had the worst luck in the world.

**~Supernatural~~**

Later that evening as David helped his baby brother take his bath, he couldn't help but smile at the way that Joey had somehow managed to get more spaghetti on him than in him, and yet, John and Mary hadn't seemed to care. They had even laughed earlier when the kid had smeared the sauce all over his cheek when wiping his mouth with the back of his hand after a particularly big mouthful. If that had been Norman witnessing the event, well, David didn't want to even think about the consequences his brother would have had to pay. So lost was he in his thoughts that David was startled when he felt a wet hand touch his face.

"Huh, did you say something, Little Dude?" David questioned as he focused his attention back on the little one in the tub.

"Yeah, I said Mary sure does make good spaghetti doesn't she De?" Joey restated as he pushed around the small plastic toy boat that Mary had given him to play with in the water-filled tub.

"That's for sure," David answered as he picked up the bottle of baby shampoo and prepared to wash his sibling's hair.

"Joey, I need you to cover your eyes for me Little Man so I can dump some water over your hair to get it wet for washing."

"Okay De, but will you start calling me Sammy again like you did when we were little?" Joey replied as he clenched his eyes shut in preparation for the hair drenching. "I wanna be a Sammy now instead of a Joey."

"Yeah, I guess, if you want me to as long as John and Mary ain't around" David answered as he carefully poured water over his sibling's curly brown locks. "And for your information, you still are little, Squirt."

"Nuh uh," Joey voiced once the water cleared from his face. "I'm almost as big as you are."

"In your dreams Little Man," David laughed as he picked up the bottle of baby shampoo and began to massage it into his brother's scalp as he enjoyed the light hearted moment. It had been too long since he and his brother had shared a time like this, one where they could be just themselves without any fear of reprisal.

"De, can we play on the tire swing again tomorrow?"

"Sure Joey…I mean Sammy, as long as it's okay with John and Mary," David answered, using the treasured name of so long ago, as he finished shampooing his sibling's hair and then had Joey cover his eyes so he could rinse the shampoo out. He didn't want to outright promise because there was always the chance that John and Mary could show their true colors tomorrow. After years of dealing with Norman and his abusive ways, he just couldn't make himself believe that there were actually nice adults in the world; adults who really cared about their children.

"Okay monkey, time for you to get out and get dressed," David informed his brother as he grasped a towel and then wrapped it around Joey after the youngster stood up.

Waiting for Joey to dry off and then get dressed in the pajamas that Mary had provided, he motioned for his brother to sit and look at a book in the corner of the room while he himself took a shower. No way was he leaving the kid in their bedroom all alone and at the mercy of John should he turn violent.

**~Ninety Minutes Later~~**

"Okay boys, time for bed," John announced as he glanced from the television set over to where the boys were sitting on the sofa as they watched the latest episode of American's Funniest Home Videos to see the youngest in their mist struggling to hold his eyes open while he emitted a jaw popping yawn.

'Yes Sir," David answered as he nudged his brother on the shoulder to make him more alert and then nodded his head towards the stairs to encourage his sibling to get moving. He knew better than to argue when given a direct order, even though he had hoped to stay up a little longer and watch a little more television.

Grasping Joey's hand and leading him up the stairs, David helped his brother into the bed and was just climbing in himself when he heard a knock on the door. "Yeah?" he questioned aloud as he defensively nudged Joey behind him.

"David, it's Mary. Would it be okay if I came in and read you two a story and then tuck you in?" He heard Mary call out with baited breath.

"I...I don't know, I…" David stammered as he glanced from the door, to his brother, and then back again.

"Please De" Joey begged as he beseeched his brother with a woebegone expression. "I can't remember ever having a mama read to me."

"Okay, you can come in I guess," David called out hesitantly as he gave in to his brother's wishes. He never could say no to the kid.

Opening the door, Mary strolled in and over to the shelf where some children's books had been placed in anticipation of the children's arrival. Grasping her favorite, she walked over to the bed where the boys lay and sat down at the bottom of the bed where she hoped she wouldn't seem to threatening even though what she really wanted to do was to climb in the bed between her boys and wrap an arm around each one of them before beginning.

"This is one of my favorite books and I hope you two will like it also," Mary stated as she opened the book and began to read.

'_Little Nutbrown Hare who was going to bed, held on very tight, to big Nutbrown Hare's ears. He wanted to be sure that Big Nutbrown Hare was listening. "Guess how much I love you," he said. "Oh, I don't think I could guess that," said Big Nutbrown Hare.'_

Mary then went on to finish the story about a little rabbit who wanted reassurance that his parents' love was deep and unending. Closing the book, she looked lovingly into the expressive eyes of the two boys who lay before her and said, "I want you to know that I too, love the both of you all the way up to the moon and back. John and I both do, and I hope that someday you will both know that you are safe and loved with us."

Standing up, she leaned down to tuck the blanket around the two boys on the bed and then kissed them lightly on the forehead. "Sweet Dreams," she whispered before leaving the room with tear filled eyes. She didn't expect the boys to say anything in return since she knew they had been through too much trauma to just believe her at her words. No, she knew it would take lots of love, patience, and understanding before the boys were ready to accept their love, and she would wait until the end of time if that was what it took.

Watching as Mary left the room, David's eyes misted with tears as he wondered if he and Joey could ever have a life like that, one where they were loved and cherished every day, just the way that Little Nutbrown Hare was. Yes, he wanted for himself, but he wanted it for Joey more than anything else in the world.

**TBC. So, are you still interested and want to read more? **By the way, the story that Mary read to the boys is titled _**Guess How Much I Love You**_ by Sam McBratney.


	7. Chapter 7

**Coming Home Ch. 7**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**Previously**_**:**__ Standing up, she leaned down to tuck the blanket around the two boys on the bed and then kissed them lightly on the forehead. "Sweet Dreams," she whispered before leaving the room. She didn't expect the boys to say anything in return since she knew they had been through too much trauma to just believe her at her words. No, she knew it would take lots of love, patience, and understanding before the boys were ready to accept their love, and she would wait until the end of time if that was what it took._

_Watching as Mary left the room, David's eyes filled with tears as he wondered if he and Joey could have a life like that, one where they were loved and cherished every day, just the way that Little Nutbrown Hare was. Yes, he wanted that for himself, but he wanted it for Joey more than anything else in the world._

"That was a nice story wasn't it De?" Joey stated as he snuggled up to his brother's side. "Too bad things like that don't really happen."

"What do you mean Sammy?" David asked, surreptitiously wiping his eyes to keep the tears from falling.

"Grownups really don't care about their kids like that. If they did, then Daddy would have been nicer to us," Joey replied, taking comfort in the fact that his big brother was now using the coveted nickname that he treasured so much.

"Norman was just an ass, Sammy, and I told you not to call him Daddy anymore." David reiterated as he pulled his sibling closer to his side and rubbed his arms comfortingly as the little one suddenly shuddered.

"You're thinking about what he said to you the day we left aren't you?"

"Yeah," Joey admitted, his voice cracking slightly on the word. "Maybe he was right, De. Maybe I am evil and don't deserve to be loved. Maybe he was right to beat me with his belt after Mommy left."

"You listen to me Kiddo, and listen good. You don't have an evil bone in your body and you definitely didn't deserve to be beaten black and blue," David proclaimed as he turned his brother around to face him so he could look him squarely in the eye. "Mom left because she was strung out on drugs and she couldn't stand living with that drunken bastard anymore so she found someone better. It isn't your fault that her new boyfriend didn't like kids."

"But Da…, I mean Norman, said It was my fault Mommy took the drugs; cause I was always having those stupid nightmares about monsters and things," Joey refuted with a soft sob.

"Yeah, well Norman only said that because he knew it was **his** fault that Mom took drugs," David countered, secretly wishing that he could kill Norman with his bare hands for making his brother believe he was at fault for everything bad that had happened to them. "So you can stop blaming yourself for everything right now. You have never been, nor will you ever become evil. And by the way, if there is **anyone** on this earth that deserves to be loved it's you!"

"You mean it's us," Joey corrected as he nestled into his sibling's embrace and closed his eyes, praying that he could sleep through the night without any night terrors assaulting his dreams. The last thing they needed was to be kicked out of their new home on their first night there.

**~~Meanwhile downstairs~~**

"So how did it go, babe?" John inquired as his wife sat down on the couch and snuggled up close to him.

"I'm not sure," Mary answered somberly. "I mean, they allowed me to read them the book and even kiss them goodnight, but they never showed any emotion when I told them how much we loved them and wanted them to know that they were safe with us."

"Mary, you have to understand that it's going to take them a while to learn to trust people again. All they've known is heartbreak and pain where adults are concerned over the past few years. It's going to take more than just a story and promises that they are safe and loved before they actually begin to believe it," John informed his wife as he rubbed her back in comfort.

"I know that John, but I was hoping for at least a smile or some kind of small confirmation that they believed me, if only just a little," Mary wept as she folded herself into her husband's embrace. It was killing her to know that her own children were afraid of her, which brought about another thought.

"Honey, did you remember to gather some hair samples from the comb in their bathroom while I was reading to them?" Mary inquired as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, I got them, and a few bristles from their toothbrushes as well and put them in a Ziploc bag," John answered as he patted the pocket of his t-shirt. "I'll take them to the hospital lab tomorrow and have them tested."

"Good, then we'll finally know beyond a shadow of a doubt what I already know in my heart. Those boys are Dean and Sammy," Mary voiced as she laid her head on John's muscular chest once again and relished in the feeling of comfort she got from the small action.

'Yes we will," John agreed as he began to toy with is wife's wavy blonde locks. "But honey, I hope you realize that it might not be smooth sailing even if the boys are proved to be truly our biological sons.

"Wha-What do you mean?" Mary inquired as she sat up and looked up at her husband inquisitively.

"Mar, after everything the boys have been through, I'm just afraid they might blame us for not working harder to find them. They could blame us for having to live a life of abuse," John warned as he lifted his left hand and tugged calloused fingers through his own hair. He didn't want his wife to think that everything would suddenly be all sunshine and roses if they tests confirmed what they both hoped with all of their hearts.

"Oh John, you don't really think…" Mary's voice trailed off as her mind struggled to deal with what her husband had just said.

"I don't know Mar, I just don't want you to be caught unaware if things go bad," John replied with a sigh. He truly hoped that his worries would be for naught, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the news would make the boys even more wary of them than they already were.

"I hope and pray you are wrong sweetheart, but we'll face that bridge together if and when we come to it," Mary stated, as she pushed herself to her feet and then reached a hand out to her husband.

"It's time for bed, Sweetheart."

The words had no sooner left Mary's mouth, when she and John heard the sound of a terrified scream coming from upstairs.

"NOOOOOOOO"

**~~Moments earlier~~**

Tossing and turning in his bed as memories of his past came back to haunt him, Joey began to whimper as a night terror took full hold of his dreams.

"_Where are you hiding you damn brat? Come out and take your medicine like a man," Norman growled as he opened the closet in the boys' bedroom and looked for the sniveling little delinquent who had ran from him just moments earlier as he pulled off his belt. The kid deserved a beating for getting sick at school thereby causing him to have to leave the card game he was winning down at the bar, and he was going to make sure he delivered it. _

_Hearing the sound of a soft whimper coming from under the bed, Norman kneeled down to find the little troll hiding in total fear under the bed. Reaching in to grab the little urchin's ankle, he started pulling him forcefully from under the bed._

"NOOOOOOOO," Joey screamed in abject horror as he bolted upright in bed, sweat pouring from his small body as tears flowed steadily down his cheeks.

Springing up immediately at the sound of his brother's terrified scream, David immediately wrapped his baby brother in his arms and began to rock him back and forth. "Shhh, it's okay. I've got you. No one is going to hurt you. It was just a dream," he informed his distraught brother just as the door was flung open, banging against the wall and terrifying his younger sibling even more.

"Damn it, you've just managed to make things worse" David growled as he glared at the two adults who had unintentionally frightened his sibling to the point where the kid was about to have a panic attack as they had come into the room. "Just please get out and leave us alone. "

"But, Sa-Joey needs me. Please let me help," Mary begged as she strode towards the bed where the sobbing child lay encompassed in big brother's arms.

"Lady, he doesn't even know you," Dean retorted as he wrapped his arms more firmly around his brother and tried to control his own breathing while rubbing soothing circles on Joey's back at the same time. "What he needs is to be left alone. I've gotten him through every other nightmare and I'll get him through this one too, so please leave."

"Please Son, let us help," John pleaded, his own heart breaking at the sight of his baby, _because that's who Joey really had to be_, in such distress.

"You can help by leaving" David reiterated as he looked at the two adults with imploring eyes. "Please?"

Realizing that the only way he and his wife could start earning his son's trust was to abide by his wishes; John took a deep breath and said, "Okay Ace, we'll leave the two of you alone. Just yell if you change your mind."

"But John…," Mary began to remonstrate before being cut off by her husband.

"He's right Mary. Joey needs his brother more than he needs us. Let De, I mean David, handle things from here," John articulated as he grabbed his wife by the hand and began to tug her out of the room, stopping for just a moment to witness the way David was now rocking the child in his arms as he whispered soothing words to him.

"John, why did you make me leave when you know damn well that Sammy needed me?" Mary questioned a little angrily once her husband had closed the door behind them and they had started down the hallway towards their own room.

"Because, we had to start getting the boys to trust us sometime and what better time than now?" John vocalized as he led his wife into their room and over towards their bed. He highly doubted that either one of them would be getting any sleep tonight, but at least they could rest secure in the knowledge that the boys were safe and that with a little luck, they had made some headway in gaining the boys trust back again tonight.

His thoughts once again returning to the two young boys down the hallway as he climbed into the bed beside his wife, John could only hope that Dean was right, and that his youngest was being well taken care of since he and Mary couldn't be there for little Sammy in his obvious time of distress.

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

**Coming Home Ch. 8**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**Previously:** _His thoughts once again returning to the two young boys down the hallway as he climbed into the bed beside his wife, John could only hope that Dean was right, and that his youngest was being well taken care of since he and Mary couldn't be there for little Sammy in his obvious time of distress._

Standing at the stove early the next morning as she cooked pancakes and bacon while dressed in her white sleeping gown, Mary kept glancing over at the stairwell as she wondered when the boys would be coming down. She had heard them up and moving around earlier when she had sat down to enjoy a cup of coffee and decided to make sure she had a proper breakfast waiting for them once they arrived downstairs.

Turning over the sizzling bacon in the skillet, Mary chewed on her bottom lip as she thought about the incident during the night when Sammy…_No, Joey_, she had to think of him as Joey for now… had woken them all up screaming in terror. Her little boy had been so scared and it had nearly killed her to be sent away without pulling him into her arms and comforting him the way she desperately wanted to. Of course, she understood why she wasn't wanted, the boys had only been at their house for less than twenty-four hours, but still, it had hurt more than she thought anything could…well, except for the day the boys had been kidnapped and taken away from her and John.

Shuddering at the unwanted memory, she wiped away the tears that the memory brought and made a vow to herself that nothing would ever separate her and her boys again. Hearing the sound of footsteps that were too heavy to be her boys, she pasted on a smile as her husband walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Sweetheart," she voiced with affection as she found herself wrapped in the muscular and loving arms of her husband from behind. John would never know how grateful she was for that hug as it helped to take her mind off of last night and focus her thoughts on today, a day she was sure would be much better.

"Morning Darlin'" John replied in return as his nose took in the wonderful aroma wafting up from the blueberry pancakes that were cooking in the skillet. Reaching over to lift a pancake from the stack already sitting on the counter, he suddenly found his hand popped by a wooden spatula.

"Leave those alone. You'll eat the same time as the boys," Mary informed her surprised husband as she lifted out the last of the pancakes and placed them on the platter beside the mound of bacon. Carrying the platter over to the table, she was pleased to hear the sound of the boys finally making their way down the stairs also.

Waiting for the boys to arrive at the breakfast nook, Mary sighed in relief upon seeing them and noticing that both boys seemed to be relatively well rested, which suggested to her that David had succeeding in comforting Joey enough last night that both boys were able to get a decent night of sleep.

Knowing that she was probably making the boys uncomfortable with the way she was staring at them, Mary said, "I sure hope you boys are hungry. I made enough blueberry pancakes to feed an Army."

"That's good, because De' eats enough for an Army," Joey voiced bashfully as he peeked up at Mary through the long chestnut colored bangs that hid his blue-green eyes.

"I do not," David refuted, ruffling his brother's hair as he nudged Joey over towards the table where he knew they were expected to sit down and eat. He and Joey had talked upstairs about trying to make things seem as normal as possible in the hope that Mary and John wouldn't question them about Joey's nightmare. They just wanted to pretend it never happened and start over. The less they thought about Norman and his abusive ways, the better it would be for them.

"So, you two boys doing alright this morning?" John queried with concern as he grasped a jug of milk from the refrigerator to pour a glassful for everybody.

"Yes Sir," Dean answered hesitantly, glancing at Joey to see him slump down in his chair just a little. It looked like their hope was for naught; the Winchesters were going to make them talk about the incident whether they wanted to or not.

"S'Good," John replied, taking in the somewhat tense posture of the boys and deciding to drop things for now. "That means you should be able to help me scarf down all of these delicious pancakes that Mary made.

"Yes Sir," Dean stated more convincingly this time as he stabbed a few of the pancakes and placed them on his sibling's plate before getting some to put on his own. Damn but he was glad they weren't expected to talk over breakfast since he knew damn well it would have ruined his and Joey's appetite and they were both hungry.

**~~Supernatural~~**

"So Mary, what are the plans for today?" John asked his beautiful wife as he helped her clean up the breakfast dishes while David and Joey went back to their rooms to get dressed. He knew that Mary wanted the four of them to spend the day bonding as a family, but he also knew he needed to swing by the hospital and drop off the strands of hair he had gleaned from the boys combs as well as a few bristles from their toothbrushes to have them tested to see if the DNA was a match for him and Mary.

"Well, I thought maybe we could take the boys down to the Prairie Park Nature Center," Mary answered her husband as she thoroughly washed the skillet she has used to make the pancakes. The park had lots of wonderful animals for the boys to see and also a picnic area where they could enjoy some sandwiches and drinks for lunch. And since the park was right there in their hometown of Lawrence, the boys wouldn't be forced to endure and long and awkward car ride with the two of them.

"Sounds like fun," John agreed as he took the offered skillet and dried it with a dishrag before putting it away. "But before we leave, I'm going to take the hair strands and the bristles I took from the boys toothbrushes over to Danny at the hospital lab so he can get the DNA testing started."

"Why don't you go and do that now while the boys are getting changed. I'll make an excuse for you if they ask where you're going," Mary informed her husband as she leaned over to give him a small peck on the cheek. The sooner they got the testing started, the quicker they would find out for sure if they boys were really theirs, something of which she had no doubt about.

"Yes Ma'am" John stated as he raised his hand to his head and then thrust it outwards in a mock salute to his wife. He too wanted the testing done as soon as possible.

"You're incorrigible," Mary stated with a grin as she twisted the slightly wet dishtowel in her hand, and then snapped it out with a quick thrust of her wrist at her husband's derriere.

"Ouch, that smarted," John voiced as he rubbed his behind with his hand before quickly leaving the room. Another one of those and he'd have a welt on his firm butt.

Shaking her head with amusement at her husband's hurried exit, Mary turned back to finish the dishes, very much looking forward to the day ahead.

**~~Supernatural**~~

Sitting in the back of the Impala as they made their way down the road to the nature center that Mary had mentioned, David ran his hand over the leather seat that he and 'Sammy' were sitting on. He had admired the car from afar each time he saw it, and wondered if maybe he could have a black beauty like it sometime. Glancing up towards the front, he caught John watching him and it made him a little self-conscious until the man winked at him through the rearview mirror.

"She's a beauty isn't she?" John inquired over the rock music playing softly from the radio as he watched Dean (because it just had to be his eldest son) survey the interior of the car.

"Yeah, she is." David answered with a smile, starting to feel just a bit more comfortable. He and Sammy had been tense at first being in such cramped quarters, but John and Mary had done their best to make the ride seem less threatening.

"She's in need of her annual tune-up when we get back. Would you like to help me with that?" John asked, happy himself to see Dean is a good mood.

"Can Joey help?" David asked as his baby brother snuggled up to him in the back of the car.

"Sure, I wouldn't want it any other way than my favorite two boys beside me," John answered quickly as he made the left turn into the parking area of the Prairie Park Nature Center. Driving around the parking lot, he quickly found an open space and then parked the car

Exiting the car, Mary looked at the boys and asked, "Is there anything specific you boys would like to see first?"

"What do they have? We ain't never been to a place like this before," Joey voiced meekly as he peaked up at Mary through his long chestnut colored bangs.

Kneeling down in front of her little one and stroking his cheek lightly, Mary replied, "Well honey, they have lots of things like owls, snakes, iguanas, turtles, and all kinds of birds. They also have a lake behind the Nature Center Building and they also have a playground."

"Can we see the owl's first," Joey asked hesitantly before sucking in his bottom lip. He didn't want to say the wrong thing.

"Sure we can, Bud," John answered, as he reached over and rustled the young child's hair. And maybe after that we can see the snakes and then give you boys a chance to play on the playground. How does that sound?"

"Awesome," voiced David and he grabbed his sibling's hand and started leading him towards the nature building. He couldn't wait to see the snakes.

Hurrying towards the building, Joey failed to notice the large root sticking out from one of the trees near the path and took a harsh tumble on the ground, David unable to stop the youngster's fall.

"Oh my god, Sammy! Are you okay?" Mary gasped as she noted the bloody palms and tear filled eyes of her youngest.

"Wh-what did you just call him?" David inquired as he grabbed Joey and pulled him back away from the concerned couple who shouldn't have known what he called Joey in secret. Had these people been spying on them? Did they have some alternative reason for wanting them around?

**TBC _Still interested?_**


	9. Chapter 9

**Coming Home Ch. 9**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**Previously:** _"Oh my god, Sammy! Are you okay?" Mary gasped as she noted the bloody palms and tear filled eyes of her youngest._

"Wh-what did you just call him?" David inquired as he grabbed Joey and pulled him back away from the concerned couple who shouldn't have known what he called Joey in secret. Had these people been spying on them all along? Did they have some alternative reason for wanting them around?

"David, it's okay son, you need to calm down," John quickly interjected, hands thrown up in a placating manner, as he took in the 'flight response' evident in the boy's green eyes.

"Don't tell me to calm down. I want to know what you people are up to," David retorted angrily as he took a few more steps back, while pulling his sibling with him.

"David, I can explain if you'll just let me honey," Mary pleaded, as tears began to roll down her cheeks at the thought of losing her boys. She couldn't survive losing them again.

"No, I'm tired of people lying to us and hurting us. Why didn't you just leave us with Ms. Whitworth where we knew we were safe and we were happy?" David bemoaned as he wrapped an arm around Joey and pulled him extra close.

"De', it's alright, it's not Mary's fault I fell and got hurt," Joey voiced in confusion, as he wiped away the tears with the back of his stinging palm. He couldn't understand why his big brother was blaming Mary for what happened and why he wanted to go back to the group home. Sure, he wanted to see Ms. Amelia again also, but he was kind of getting used to the idea of having a home with the Winchesters, even if he was still scared of them. At least they didn't hurt him the way Norman did. Well, at least not yet anyway.

"I know that Kiddo, It's just...I don't trust them," David stated, not exactly sure how to explain things to his younger sibling so that the seven year old would understand his fears.

"David, I know we haven't given you very many reasons to trust us yet, but I swear on my life that we would never knowingly hurt you," John intonated softly, not wanting to scare David any more than they already had. "And I can promise you there is a very good explanation for what just happened if you will let us explain."

"Why should I?" David argued as he looked at the two people standing before them.

"Because if you don't, you'll always wonder whether or not you did the right thing, especially for Joey," John alleged, hoping to sway the eleven year old, knowing that David had his brother's best interest at heart. Sure, he knew that he wasn't playing fair by using Joey, but if these were truly their kids, then he couldn't chance losing them again forever!

Chewing on his bottom lip as he scrutinized the look on John's face, David could see the sincerity in the man's eyes and wondered if maybe there was something he didn't know, maybe they really did have a good reason for calling his baby brother Sammy. But could he let his guard down long enough to listen? Could he chance having both his and his brother's hearts broken all over again?

"Okay, I'll listen, but not here. This is supposed to be a day of fun and that's what I want more than anything for my little brother. We can talk about it later when we get back hom…back to your place," David acquiesced as he tugged Joey even closer to his side. If things went bad there, at least there he and Joey could catch a bus back to the group home if they needed to make a quick escape.

"Agreed, John assented with a deep sigh of relief. At least that would give both him and Mary some time to think about what they wanted to say and how to say it. Turning his attention to the smallest one in their group, he said, "You still want to see those owls, Tiger?"

Looking to David for permission, Joey smiled when David nodded his head in agreement and softly said, "Yes Sir, I would like that very much."

"Sounds wonderful to me," Mary interjected as she reached inside her purse for some antibiotic wipes, "But first let me clean up the scrapes on Joey's hands and knees. I don't want them to become infected later."

"I…I'm o-okay," Joey stuttered anxiously, as he moved to hide behind his brother. The last time he had gotten hurt, Norman made him sit still while he poured some kind of medicine on it that stung really bad and made him cry. Of course, that made Norman mad and it hurt even more when the mean brute slapped him across the face and told him to quit acting like a damn baby.

"Aww Sweetie, please let me help. I promise I won't hurt you," Mary prodded gently with a smile. More than anything, she wanted to make everything better for her youngest.

"No, I'll do it," David asserted emphatically as he held out is hand for the wipes. He'd taken care of his brother for as long as he could remember and he didn't need anyone's help to do it now.

Knowing that some battles were better left not fought, Mary handed over the wipes to the protective pre-teen. She definitely didn't want Dean any more upset than he already was with them if they had any hopes of getting through to him later when they finally revealed everything.

Nodding his thanks, David took the wipes and then proceeded to wipe off the blood and clean out the scrapes with the utmost care, making sure not to hurt his younger brother any more than was necessary to get the job done.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Sitting in the back seat of the Impala as they made their way home, David couldn't help but be nervous about the upcoming hours. He could feel in his heart that these next few hours would have a major impact on him and his baby brother, but what that impact would be remained to be seen. He was so tired of seeing the hopelessness in his brother's eyes over the last few years and just wanted the kid to be truly happy again. Sure they had a good few days with the Winchesters, even laughing and playing, but the smiles Joey exhibited never really reached his eyes. It was as if his younger sibling was waiting for the hurt he knew would surely come.

Carding his fingers through the wavy chestnut colored curls of his exhausted brother who was leaning against him nearly asleep, David tried to remember the last time he had seen his brother truly happy, but it was so long ago that all he could remember was that they were in a big shopping place with lots of stores and that they were with a lady who had blonde hair. He could also remember a big water fountain which had spouts that shot out different colors of water and the place also had a musical carousel that had horses that moved up and down as the carousel went round and round.

Smiling as he thought about the carousel, he could remember the way his brother's eyes twinkled with merriment as the brown and white colored horse he rode on moved up and down while the blonde lady held onto his waist to keep him from falling off. Sighing as he thought about the lady, he wished he could remember her better, but he had been too focused on his brother… who couldn't have been much more than two at the time… and could only remember the color of her hair.

Suddenly feeling as though he were being watched, David gazed up to see John watching him through the review mirror. "Something you want?" he growled quietly as he felt Joey slump fully against him in sleep.

"No Son, it was just good to see you smiling so brightly there for a minute," John answered with a sigh, wishing that Dean, no, he had to think of him as David for now, didn't feel so defensive when it came to him and Mary.

"Whatever," David grumbled in reply as he turned away from John and looked out the window to see the lush green scenery passing by in a blur. Once again he could feel the tension mounting as they drew nearer to their destination of the Winchester home and could only hope his worries were for naught and that he'd made the right decision for him and Joey by agreeing to listen to what the Winchesters had to say.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Waking his baby brother when they arrived back at the house, David tried not to let his nervousness show as he helped Joey out of the car and then lead his younger sibling towards the house. Joey was already skittish enough after having once again picked up on the tension between him and the Winchesters and he didn't like it one bit. He could tell by the way the kid was dragging his feet that Joey was starting to become slightly alarmed.

"Hey Kiddo, relax. Everything is okay," he stated with a feigned air of confidence that he really didn't feel.

"Then why are you acting funny?" Joey asked with soulful eyes as he looked up at his big brother.

"I'm not acting funny, I'm just tired is all," David retorted as they strode towards the house, John and Mary following behind them. There was no need for him to express his worries when everything would come out soon enough.

"If you say so," Joey replied walking along, gasping a little at the pain in his sore knees. They had become stiff on the ride home and it hurt to move them.

"Here Son, let me help you," John voiced as he quickly approached and wrapped an arm around Joey's waist and swung him up onto his side. He had noticed how tenderly the kid was walking and wanted to do something to take away his son's pain. "Mary can give you some children's Tylenol for the pain when we get inside.

'_Son?' Why did John just use the word son again?'_ David wondered, noticing how tenderly John carried his sibling up the stairs and into the house. He had used it in the car when talking to him, and just used it again when referring to Joey.

Following them inside, David watched as John gently sat his brother down on the sofa and then sat down beside him as Mary walked down the hallway towards the bathroom to retrieve the Children's Tylenol from the medicine cabinet there.

Sitting quietly as Mary returned and gave Joey the pain relieving medicine; he waited for the two adults to sit opposite of them and then said, "So…what is it that you wanted to tell us?"

**TBC…Still interested after such a long wait? **

_I am so sorry you had to wait for so long with this chapter. But with two deaths in the family and my brother being rushed to ICU in a relatively short amount of time, I just didn't have the heart or the time to write. Let me know if you want me to continue._


	10. Chapter 10

**Coming Home Ch. 10**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**A big thanks to ZIGGYUK for the beta on most of this chapter!**

**Previously:** _Following them inside, David watched as John gently sat his brother down on the sofa and then sat down beside him as Mary walked down the hallway towards the bathroom to retrieve the Children's Tylenol from the medicine cabinet there._

_Sitting quietly as Mary returned and gave Joey the pain relieving medicine; he waited for the two adults to sit opposite of them and then said, "So…what is it that you wanted to tell us?"_

Clenching his hands in his lap, John thought about the best way to start as he didn't want the boys to think that he and Mary were totally crazy just by blurting out the news…news that had yet to be confirmed by the DNA results they were waiting on.

"Well, I'm not quite sure where to start," John admitted as he glanced from one boy to the other. "I guess the first thing we should say is that we are so happy to have you in our lives and that no matter what, I hope that never changes. You are our boys forever more, no matter what the results."

"What results? What are you talking about?" David inquired as he looked at John incredulously.

"John, I think maybe you should let me handle this," Mary said as she reached out to grab one of John's now unclenched hands and give it a squeeze. She knew her husband was very nervous and thought maybe the news would be better coming from her.

"I guess the first thing you two should know is that a long time ago, John and I had two boys of our own, two boys that we loved and cherished with all of our hearts, but something devastating happened to us and they were taken from us?" Mary began nervously.

"What do you mean taken? What happened," David inquired, not liking where things were going.

"Our boys were ki-kidnapped," Mary stuttered, before chewing on her bottom lip, trying to keep the tears from falling. "And they were never found by the police."

"So you took us in to replace them then. You didn't really want us; you just wanted to little boys that you could pretend were them," David seethed as he glared at the two adults sitting across the room from him.

"No, that's not it at all," John interjected quickly as he realized the situation was starting to spiral out of their control. We took you in because…"

"We took you in because we wanted you boys to have a good home, someone who would love you and be there for you whenever you needed help. When we went to the group home that you boys were placed in, we went with the intent to find a child or children who needed us the way that we needed them. It wasn't to replace our boys, but to fill our home with love," Mary voiced, silent tears running down her face.

"But why did you pick us? There were lots of other boys there," Joey stated as he scooted over into his big brother's lap. These people were making him nervous.

"When we first saw you…" John started to say, before being interrupted again.

"It's because we looked like them, huh? I was right, you just used us to replace them," David angrily stated as he stood up and held Joey to his side and started walking towards the front door

"Yes…No…I mean, that's not what we were trying to do," Mary hurriedly expressed as she stumbled over her words in her haste to make David understand.

"What Mary is trying to say, is that we don't just think you look like our boys, we think that you ARE our boys." John stated succinctly, breathing a sigh of relief when his words stopped David in his tracks.

"Wh-what? What did you just say?" David inquired as he turned around and looked at John with anger, but also curiousness in his eyes.

"I said that we think you and Joey really are our boys," John reiterated with a hopeful smile.

"Why would you think that?" David asked, still standing near the door, not yet ready to believe what he was hearing.

"Well, there are quite a few reasons," Mary explained as she finally got herself together enough to speak again. "When we first saw you, we were instantly blown away by how much you looked like our son Dean. You have the same hair color, the same eyes, the same freckles that he had as a little boy. And then when we heard Joey call you 'De', it only confirmed it for us even more."

"You just knowded De, you didn't knowded me?" Joey asked, his bottom lip trembling as tears leapt into his eyes.

"Ah honey, you have to understand, when you boys were taken from us, you were only two years old. Still just a baby," Mary explained, reaching out to Joey, only to have David back away from her, Joey still entrenched in his hold.

"That still doesn't explain why you called Joey, Sammy," David voiced, holding on firmly to his brother.

"Sammy was our other son's name," John justified as he nervous reached a hand up to tug his fingers through his hair. "When Joey fell, Mary just naturally called out to him as Sammy."

"If you love us like you say, then why you never finded us?" Joey asked as he lay his head on David's shoulder.

"We tried, oh God we tried," Mary answered as the tears once again began to fall. "We did everything we could; we even put up fliers at the mall where you were taken. But it was if you just fell off the face of the Earth."

"That's not true because my Mommy would have finded me. She wouldn't have let Dady…I mean that mean ol' Norman hurt me the way he did and he hurted De too!" Joey refuted as he turned his head into David's neck and away from Mary.

"If I could have stopped that from happening, I swear to you I would have," Mary voiced brokenly as she placed her head in her hands and began to weep.

"You said that we, that your boys were kidnapped…how did it happen?" David inquired, not yet ready to fully believe that they really were this Dean and Sammy.

"I'll explain it to you," John voiced as he wrapped an arm around Mary who was still weeping inconsolably from Sammy's words. "When you boys were little, Mary took you to the Mall for a day of fun and shopping. While you were there, a woman began screaming that her child was missing. Your Mom only turned away from you boys for a minute to try and help, but by then, you were gone."

"So it was all her faul…it was all an accident then," David voiced, changing the end of his statement when he saw Mary harshly flinch at his words. "Okay, let's say what you are saying is true. How do we find out for sure if you really are our real parents, that we are this Dean and Sammy?'

"We should know in a day or two. This morning after you two cleaned up, I took some strands of your hair and took them to a friend of mine who is running a DNA test on them along with strands of mine and Mary's hair. It should confirm things one way or the other," John answered.

"And if it turns out you are wrong, that we aren't Dean and Sammy?"

"Then it doesn't change a thing. We still want you boys here with all of our hearts and that will never change," Mary supplied as she swiped a hand across her wet cheeks.

"Can I ask you a question that might be upsetting?" Dean inquired, needing to know something.

"Sure, what is it Sport?" John asked.

"Why don't you have any pictures of us hanging on the walls or anything?" Dean queried. "If we were this big happy family, then why aren't there any pictures to prove it?"

"Because it broke my heart to have to look at them every day and not have the two of you here with us," Mary answered as she remembered the pain, even to this very day. "It nearly drove me insane, so John and I took them down and placed them in my hopechest…in hopes that we could someday put them back up again when we found you."

"So why haven't you put them up now?"

"Because we didn't want to overwhelm you on your first few weeks here," Mary answered. "That, and the fact that we didn't know whether or not the pictures would scare you, if you recognized yourself or Joey in the pictures. We wanted to ease you two boys into finding out the truth when we got the results of the DNA test back and our beliefs were confirmed.

"Yeah, well that went well didn't it," David voiced sarcastically before he could stop himself.

"I'm sorry, I wish that the news had been broken more gently, but I am glad it is all out in the open now so we can move forward with our lives," John stated truthfully with a sigh of relief on his part.

"Yeah well, if you don't mind, Joey and I would like to go up to our room and have some time to ourselves," David informed the two adults. He really needed some time to think things through and make some decisions, decisions that would affect the rest of his and his sibling's lives.

"Sure Son, take all the time you need," John agreed, knowing that, at least for now, the boys were staying.

Carrying his brother up the stairs, David could feel the eyes of both John and Mary 'burning' into his back. As he traversed the stairs, he couldn't help but wonder how this change of events would affect their lives for the next few days. Would the DNA results really prove that he and Joey finally had a home they really and truly belonged in? And more importantly, would Joey accept that they really were John and Mary's kids and would he be comfortable with the fact? Because if not, then they would have to leave!

Watching as their boys walked up the steps; John and Mary couldn't help but be nervous about what the boys were thinking and what those thoughts would lead to. They couldn't stand the thought of ever losing them again.

**TBC.** _**Hope the talk met up to you expectations.**_

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much for all the well wishes and prayers sent our way. It has been another hectic week as a sister ended up in ICU also, but things are finally starting to get better. I guess that is all part of being from a large family.


	11. Chapter 11

**Coming Home Ch. 11**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**Author's Note: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS AND FOR THE WELL WISHES. Things are getting better for my family. I should have more time for writing now.**

**Previously:** _Watching as their boys walked up the stairs; John and Mary couldn't help but be nervous about what the boys were thinking and what those thoughts would lead to. They couldn't stand the thought of ever losing them again._

Upon hearing the upstairs bedroom door close, signifying that their boys were out of earshot, Mary collapsed into her husband's arms and let the tears flow once again.

"Oh John, that wasn't how I planned for things to go at all," Mary lamented as she gladly let her husband support her in walking across the room to sit on the sofa.

"Shh, it'll be okay Mare, just you wait and see," John consoled as he leaned back on the couch and tugged his wife more firmly into his embrace.

"I don't see how. Dean probably thinks we are stark raving crazy and Sammy…my poor baby doesn't even believe we're his parents. How will I ever get him to forgive me for letting him be abused all those years?"

"Hold it right there Mary, you did no such thing as '_letting' _him be abused all those years. There was nothing you could do to control what happened once they were taken from us. That guilt is not yours to carry," John intoned.

"But it is. If I hadn't…."

"Let's not rehash all that pain and blame again Mary. That won't get us anywhere. We need to focus on the here and now; getting those boys through the trauma they suffered and becoming a family once again," John enunciated, knowing they wouldn't survive going down that road again. It just held too much pain for all of them.

"I know you're right Honey, but how do we start? I mean, what can we do to get the boys to start believing in us?" Mary asked as she used her left hand to swipe away the tears from her cheeks.

"Well, the first thing I think it to get De…David to believe us. If we can gain his trust, then little Joey will be sure to follow. We're going to have to call them by those names until they're more comfortable with Dean and Sammy," John answered, after thinking about things for just a moment.

"David questioned why we didn't have any pictures out of the two of them; do you think maybe that would be a good start?" Mary asked, trying to find some glimmer of hope in the situation.

"I think it wouldn't hurt to try. With a little luck, maybe David will be old enough to recognize himself, or at least his baby brother in some of the photos. I know it's probably a slim chance, but a slim chance is better than no chance at all," John replied.

"Okay, I'll go get them out of my hopechest. We can go through them together and maybe decide which ones will be best to show the boys?" Mary asked, somewhat unsure of herself as she pushed to her feet.

"Sounds like a plan," John agreed from his spot on the couch as he glanced towards the stairway, wondering what was going through the minds of his two boys at the very same moment.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Entering their room, David carried his younger sibling over to the bed and placed him on it and then sat down beside the too quiet child. "So kiddo, tell me what's going through your mind."

"I'm just sad," Joey stated as he leaned against his brother's chest and tears misted his somber blue-green eyes.

"Is it because Mary said she recognized me, but not you?" David asked knowingly as he began to card his fingers through his distressed sibling's hair.

"Uh huh," Joey sobbed as he turned his face into his brother's shirt. He didn't want to act like a baby, but if Mary was his Mommy, then she should have known him too.

"I'm sorry that hurt you little Dude," David informed his brother as he held him tight and began to rub his back. "But I think I can explain it to you why she didn't know you so that maybe it won't hurt so badly. Do you wanna hear why?"

"I guess so, yeah." Joey voiced before hesitantly looking up at his big brother and chewing on his bottom lip.

"If we are really the Winchester's kids, then Mary didn't recognize you because of how much you changed. They said we were taken five years ago, right?" David waited for his brother to nod his agreement, before continuing on. "Well, five years ago, you were only two. You were barely walking then and your hair was much shorter and more blonde than the brown color it is now," David stated as he continued to rub his brother's back in a comforting motion. "Not only that, but you were also kind of a pudgy little baby. And now you're lean and mean, just like your big brother. That's probably why Mary and John didn't recognize you"

"Do you really think so De?" Joey asked hopefully as he once again looked up at his big brother.

"I sure do…Sammy," David replied as he gave the kid as confident of a grin as he could muster. He figured he would use the coveted nickname more, especially if it ended up being his brother's real name.

"De, what if we ain't their children like they think? Will they st-still want us?" Joey stammered, still unsure if he and his brother could really be loved and truly wanted by somebody.

"I think so. I mean, John said that even if we weren't their kids, that nothing would change, they would still want us," the preteen answered as he reached out to ruffle the hair of his younger sibling. Of course, he couldn't help but wonder how true those words were. Adults lied.

"Okay," Joey whispered with a sigh as he lean his head against his big brother's chest once again.

"Okay? Does that mean you are comfortable with us staying here until we find out? Because if you're not, we can go back to the group home" David informed his little brother. "I won't mind."

"I don't wanna go back yet, I wanna stay here," Joey informed his brother after a moment's thought. At least at the Winchester's house, he didn't have to worry about being picked on by the other kids and his big brother getting a time out because of it for defending him.

"Then we'll stay, but if you change your mind…" David let his sentence trail off as they heard a knock upon the door. "Yeah?'

**~~Supernatural~~**

Gathering the pictures that they wanted to share with the boys in their hands, John and Mary quickly made their way up the stairs to the boys' room, each one nervous about what the next few moments would hold in store for them. Taking a deep breath to calm their nerves, the two adults looked at each other for support, and then John reached out and knocked upon the door.

"Yeah?" they could hear their eldest call out to them from behind the wooden barrier, anxiety evident in his voice.

"David? Joey? Is it alright if we come in?' John inquired, not wanting to lose the boys trust by just barging right in. Waiting for just a minute or two, he and Mary both breathed a sigh of relief as permission was granted for them to enter. Opening the door slowly so as not to alarm the boys, John was glad he had done so as he took in the protective way in which David immediately placed himself in front of his younger brother.

Steeling his resolve, John grasped Mary by the hand and led her into the room. "Boys, we have something we would like to share with you, if that is okay" John informed his sons as he and Mary sat down in the chairs on the opposite side of the room, making sure not to encroach on the boys territory with the defensive vibes that Dean was giving off.

"What is it?" David asked curiously, unable to help himself as he stared at the two adults across the room.

"Well, when you asked me earlier why we didn't have any picture up of the two of you. It got me to thinking. So I got some of our old pictures out of the hopechest and thought you boys might like to see them," Mary answered optimistically as she smiled at her sons.

Wanting more than anything to see them, David decided to leave the decision up to his brother and turned to him with a questioning look, "What do you think Kiddo? Would you like to see them?"

"I gu-guess so," Joey answered, his own curiosity peaked at what they might see.

"Okay, I guess we'll take a look at them then," David said to _'his parents'_ as he pulled his brother into his lap. He was hoping Joey would agree, but would have abided by his sibling's wishes if the kid had said no.

"Good," John stated in reply as he and Mary sat down on the floor and beckoned the boys over to them.

Handing one of the pictures over to Dean, Mary said, "this is one that was taken of you and Sammy just a few weeks after your baby brother was born," Mary explained as she watched both her boys gaze at the picture that showed Dean sitting on the hood of the Impala with Sammy cradled in a blanket in his arms.

Looking intently at the picture, David thought the little freckle faced boy in it could be him, but he couldn't be totally sure since he never really seen any pictures of him and Joey as little boys. Norman had burned them all shortly after their so called mom had left him.

"And this one is of the four of us just before John and I took you to your first tee-ball game," Mary told her eldest as she handed over a picture with Sammy cradled in her arms and Dean standing proudly in front of his father in his team t-shirt.

"I don't remember playing ball," David informed the Winchesters as he looked intently at the picture.

"You only got to play a couple of games before you were taken from us," John stated somberly. He had hoped the photo would spark a small memory in his son's mind.

"Do you have a special picture of me playing something?" Joey innocently asked as he gazed at his supposed parents. He wanted to know they shared special times together too.

"Here's one of all of us when we took you boys trick-or-treating," Mary stated as she handed over the picture, only for Joey/Sammy to quickly throw it on the floor, before turning around and hugging on tightly to his brother.

"Sa…Joey? What's wrong Sweetheart, why are you so upset?" Mary asked in alarm as she reached out her hand to rub Sammy's back only to draw it back when Dean glared at her.

"Joey hates clowns," David answered for his brother as he looked at the picture of his baby sibling dressed in a clown costume with disgust.

"I'm…I'm sorry, I didn't know," Mary voiced with sadness as scooped up the picture from the floor and tucked it into her pocket so it was hidden from sight.

"Well, now you do," David informed his 'mother' curtly as carded his fingers through Joey's wavy chestnut colored hair to soothe him.

"Knowing now was not the time to keep reminiscing with the pictures; John cleared his throat loudly and said, "We'll leave the two of you alone now so that Joey can get some rest."

"Thanks," David murmured as he scooted back against the headboard where he could rest more comfortably, his brother safely tucked in his embrace.

**TBC. Let me know if you want to read more. We are getting close to the chapter where something will happen to jog the boys' memories.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Coming Home Ch. 12**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**Previously**_**:**__ "Knowing now was not the time to keep reminiscing with the pictures; John cleared his throat loudly and said, "We'll leave the two of you alone now so that Joey can get some rest."_

"_Thanks," David murmured as he scooted back against the headboard where he could rest more comfortably, his brother safely tucked in his embrace._

Closing the door softly behind him as he exited the room, John took one last look at his boys before pulling it completely shut. As he looked at them, he wished he could think of something that would help to jar the boys' memories. He could now feel it in his own heart that these boys were Dean and Sammy, but how could they prove it? Yeah, he knew the DNA tests would show the truth, but that could take up to two long weeks and he just didn't feel that he or Mary could wait that long to find out. Following his wife down the stairs, an idea suddenly came to him, but it was one he was sure his wife wouldn't like, and to be honest he could understand why. But, he felt it might be the only thing that would truly work and it was at least worth a try. Nearing the bottom of the stairs, he grasped his wife's hand and led her outside to the porch swing.

"John?" Mary asked inquisitively as her husband pulled her down onto the swing beside him.

"Mare, I have something I would like to talk to you about and I want you to hear me out before you say anything," John stated as he and his wife began to swing slowly back and forth.

"Not sure I like the sound of this, but go ahead. I'm listening," Mary informed her husband, her shoulders slightly tensing and what could be to come.

"I was thinking that maybe we should take the boys to the mall and…"

"What? Have you lost your mind?" Mary immediately spat out as she turned and glared at her husband. How could he even think of doing such a terrible thing? Did he not realize how much it still hurt to drive by that damn mall and remember what happened the last time she had dared to step foot in there?

"Honey, please, you need to hear me out. I know how much you hate the Mall, but I think it might be our best option of getting the boys to remember their lives with us," John explained, sighing in relief that he had done right in taking her outside so that the boys could not hear her outburst.

"But what if it backfires on us and they remember the kidnapping? What then?" Mary questioned with tears in her eyes.

"Then we take them in our arms and hold them tight and tell them how much we love them and will never let them be taken away from us again," John answered as he used his thumbs to wipe her tears away. "And then we live up to that promise for the rest of our lives."

"John, I don't know if I can even go into that place again myself," Mary admitted as she lay her head on her husband's muscled chest and let him wrap his comforting arms around her.

"I'll be right there beside you the whole way Mary. I really think we need to do this if we have any hopes of ever getting our boys to remember us again," John voiced as he rubbed a hand up and down his wife's trembling back.

"Ho-How do we get them to agree to go to the Mall?" Mary asked with a sniffle as she tried to strengthen her resolve for the idea. She knew that going to the Mall would either 'make them or break them' as a family and she could only pray that it brought them together instead of break them apart once again.

"Well, the boys are in need of some new clothes and I was thinking we could buy a new football that I could toss around with the boys," John answered, a slight shiver overtaking him as he remembered the last time he had thrown a football with Dean and how he had destroyed that football later in anger upon learning that the police had considered the boys kidnapping a cold case when the clues to their whereabouts had dried up.

"Wh-When do you want to do this?" Mary questioned as she snuggled further into her husband's embrace. Yeah, she was totally terrified of going back to the Mall, but she also knew that she would do anything if it meant she could have her boys with their memories intact once again.

"As soon as you're ready," John replied. He knew his wife would need some time to reconcile herself to the idea and to build her confidence.

"Can we wait until tomorrow? I'd like to talk to the boys about going first, make sure they're okay with it," Mary stated.

"Sure, I think that's a great idea," John voiced as he gently started the porch swing to moving once again. He wanted to spend the afternoon with his wife enjoying the outdoors until their boys joined them once again.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Sitting in front of the television later that evening as they watched a comedy program called _Three's Company, _Mary glanced from one son to the other as the two of them lay on the carpeted floor side by side. They seemed so peaceful and content as they laughed at the character of Jack Tripper living up to his name and tripping over a piece of furniture, that Mary literally shuddered at the thought of having to talk them about the plans for the following day. She so didn't want to disrupt the tranquility of the moment as Sammy began to giggle loudly once more.

"Mary, is something wrong?" John questioned worriedly, causing both boys to glance their way, when he felt the love of his life emit a full body shudder as she lay snuggled against him on the couch.

"Did I laugh too loud? Do you want me to go to my room?" Joey asked meekly as he started to push himself up from the floor, sure that he had caused the small commotion.

"No honey, you weren't too loud at all," Mary voiced quickly to stop her son's rise from the floor. "Please stay. It's just that I was thinking and ..."

"But then why…" Joey drifted off as he started to chew on his bottom lip in agitation, trying to figure out what had happened and if he was in trouble or not. Norman always hollered at him and smacked him around when he got too loud when the television was on. Needing solace, he crawled into the lap of his big brother who was now sitting up on the floor and looking at the adults with disdain.

"If there is something you want to say to us, just spit it out," David verbalized with a sigh as he began to massage the corded muscles that were forming in the nape of his anxious brother's neck. He knew Joey well enough to know that the kid wouldn't be able to relax until he knew why John had spoken so abruptly.

"Well, I guess there's no time like the present to say what's on our minds, huh, Sport" John voiced as he turned his full and undivided attention to the boys. "Mary and I were talking earlier and…"

"And you've decided that we're too much trouble to deal with. We'll go pack our bags," David informed the startled adults as he prodded Joey to stand up.

"Whoa there cowboy, that's not it at all," John enunciated quickly as things began to spiral out of control. "We want you boys here with us more than anything in the world. It's just that there is something we want to talk to you about, and we're not quite sure how to begin."

"Why? Because you think it's something we won't like?" David questioned as he tugged his baby brother back into his lap.

"Yes…maybe…I don't know," Mary answered, unsure of herself, as she grasped John's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Well that was as clear as muddy water," David mumbled as he waited for the grown-ups to make sense.

"You see, we want to take you boys back to the place where this nightmare all began. John thinks…we think, that if we take you back to the mall, it might jog your memories of the past," Mary stated hesitantly.

"You actually want to take us back to the place where that bast…monster grabbed us, I mean, that is, if we really are your kids. Why the hell would you want to do that?" Dean queried with disbelief.

"Because it could be the only way for you boys to get your memories back," John answered succinctly as he looked David right in the eye. "I know it's probably a scary proposition, but I swear on my life; I won't let anything happen to you boys there."

"Wh-When do you wanna do this?" David asked after giving it a couple moments thought.

"Tomorrow if that is alright with the two of you," John replied as he glanced from Dean, to Sammy, and then back again, because that is who he saw now when he looked at the boys…Dean and Sammy!

"What do you think Joey? Do you want to go to the Mall with the Winchesters?," David asked his brother as he brushed aside the chestnut colored bangs that had fallen in front of his brother's eyes. He needed to know that his brother was okay with the idea before he could give the Winchesters a firm answer.

"Can I get a toy?" Joey asked, not fully understanding the implications of what the trip might mean.

"Sure you can Tiger," John answered with a smile as he visibly relaxed against the sofa. "You can get a couple of them if you'd like."

"Then I would like to go," Joey replied with the first true smile he had exhibited in way too long.

"Then it's settled, we'll go to the Mall tomorrow," Mary voiced somewhat anxiously as she graced her boys with a smile, even though she was secretly scared to death inside.

**TBC Still interested? **


	13. Chapter 13

**Coming Home Ch. 13**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**Previously: **_"Then it's settled, we'll go to the Mall tomorrow," Mary voiced somewhat anxiously as she graced her boys with a smile, even though she was secretly scared to death inside._

Climbing out of bed early the next morning without awaking her husband, Mary dashed quickly to the bathroom as she felt bile begin to rise up her throat. She hadn't slept very well and her nerves were definitely getting the better of her. Falling to her knees in front of the porcelain throne, she promptly emptied her stomach of the previous night's dinner.

'_How on Earth am I going to do this today?'_ Mary thought to herself as she finished vomiting and stood up and rinsed her mouth before grabbing her toothbrush to brush her teeth. The thought of even stepping foot back in that mall terrified her more than she was willing to admit.

Glancing into the mirror, Mary cringed upon seeing the dark shadows under her eyes, alerting anyone who cared to notice that she had had precious little sleep. 'Well, I can easily fix that,' she thought to herself as she opened the medicine cabinet above the sink and reached inside for her mascara. Her makeup would come in very handy today.

Returning to the master bedroom to get dressed after applying the makeup, she was surprised to see John sitting up in the bed and wearing nothing but his boxers, the blankets having been thrown off his sinewy legs.

"Hey Babe, are you feeling okay?" John questioned apprehensively, having heard her throwing up earlier.

"I'm fine Honey, or at least I will be," Mary answered, trying to strengthen her resolve for the day ahead.

"You know I will be there right beside you every step of the way," John informed his wife, and stood up to wrap his arms around her before she could remover her nightgown. "And I promise you that I will do everything within my power to make sure this trip goes well."

"I know that Sweetie. It's just that I can't help but feel sick at the thought of having to go inside that Mall again. Every time I pass the damn place, it brings back memories of that day and I…" Mary drifted off as she laid her head on her husband's muscular chest and began to sob.

"Shh, I've got ya Mare, I'm here," John uttered softly as he rubbed a hand up and down his wife's back in comfort. "And I'll be there for you to hold onto as tightly as you need to today. You won't be going through this alone."

"You must think I'm a big crybaby," Mary voiced as she pushed herself away from her husband's broad chest and wiped the tears from her eyes."

"Yeah, but you're my crybaby and I wouldn't change that for anything in the world," John voiced with a smirk as he rubbed away the black streak trailing down his wife's face from her mascara with his thumb.

"Dork," Mary voiced affectionately as she playfully slapped her husband on the chest.

"Sweet Cheeks," John returned as he cupped his hands around his wife's firm bottom and squeezed it lovingly.

"Forget it Mister, we don't have time for that," Mary informed her husband as she pushed him gently away. She had to get dressed and fix her makeup once again before the boys woke.

**~~A Few Hours Later~~**

"So, are we ready to go in," John turned and asked his family once he had parked the Impala in the closest parking spot he could find to the main entrance.

"John, I don't know about this," Mary whispered, her pale face almost as white as a sheet.

"It'll be okay Honey, I promise," John stated as he palmed his wife's face with both hands and smiled reassuringly. "I know what you're feeling, but we'll get through this as a family. Isn't that right boys?"

"Yeah, I guess, whatever you say," David answered, as he unbuckled his seatbelt and did the same for Joey.

John wished Dean could have been more positive with his answer to boost Mary's morale, but he also knew that Dean and Sammy were like two abused little puppies and needed to learn to trust again and that that trust would only come with time.

"Okay, then let's get this show on the road. Sammy, uh…I mean Joey, wants a toy and it's time we get him one," John stated, pushing the door open and climbing from the car so that he could go around and open Mary's door. And one thing was for sure, he would buy the kid whatever toy he wanted because he knew just how huge of a step it had been for Sammy to even ask if he could have one.

Reaching in for his wife's hand, he gave it a firm squeeze of support as he helped her from the car.

"John, I can't…" Mary whispered, her knees nearly buckling from the fear of having to take even one step towards the dreadful place.

"It's okay, Mary. You can hold my hand too if it will make you feel better," Joey voiced meekly as he exited the car and held his hand out to her.

"That will make me feel much better, Baby," Mary informed her youngest as she grasped his hand and tears began to roll down her cheeks. It meant the world to her; having her youngest reach out to her for the very first time.

Leading his family towards the entrance, John fervently prayed that things would go the way he had planned. With a little bit of luck, his sons would truly be on their way to remembering and they could be a family once again. Holding open the door for his family, John encouraged Mary to enter and then her a few minutes to adjust to being inside the building that she had sworn she would never put foot in once again.

"You okay honey?" he asked as he wrapped his muscular arm around her and held her close once she seemed steady enough.

"No, but I will be as long as I have my three favorite men here to support me," Mary voiced nervously as she glanced from her husband to her sons. She had to be strong for her children's' sake.

"So where to first?" David inquired, anxious to get moving in one direction or another so people wouldn't think they were crazy just standing there.

"How about the toy store?" Mary answered as she noted the pleading look on Sammy's face.

"Toy Store it is," John announced, glancing at the map of store locations for just a moment before leading his family in the correct direction.

Passing by the clothing stores, Mary took note of the outfits hanging in the windows and made a mental note to herself to make sure they picked up at least two or three new outfits for the boys. She was sure that Sammy would love the shop that had printed cartoon characters on the front of their t-shirts.

Entering the Toys-R-Us store, John led the boys around to where the sports equipment was located. Glancing at the different equipment, his eyes immediately landed on a red, white, and blue football, just like the one he used to toss with Dean. Hefting the ball into his hands, memories flooded his mind of happier times ad he couldn't resist passing the ball to his son.

"Hey Dean, catch," John shouted out as he tossed the ball to his oldest.

Looking at the soccer balls with Joey, David hoped John would let his baby brother have one as Joey had always seemed to be interested in the game. Watching as Joey picked one up, his attention was diverted as he heard John shout out to him, "Hey Dean, catch," and his mind immediately began to swim with a long forgotten memory.

"_Hey Dean, catch," John called out to his four year old as he tossed the ball easily to his oldest child while Mary sat swinging back and forth on the front porch swing with their precious baby sleeping contentedly in her arms._

_Catching the ball with both hands, Dean shouted with joy as he ran towards his Dad and was immediately picked up and swung through the air by the strong arms of his father._

"Huh,' Dean gasped, as the football hit him in the chest and dropped to the floor.

"Shit, Dean. Are you okay?" John asked as he rushed over to his stunned eldest.

"Huh," David inquired again as he looked at John, befuddlement evident on his face.

"Sorry Kiddo, I didn't mean to hit you with the football. Are you okay?" John once again queried as he looked his eldest over.

"Yeah, I'm fine," David answered absently, wondering if what he had just remembered was true, or if his mind was wishing the scene upon him.

"De, are you sure you're okay. You're acting kinda funny," Joey surmised as he stood in front of his bewildered brother.

"Yeah, I'm fine munchkin," David answered, shaking the memory off as he turned his attention back to the bin of soccer balls. "So, you going to pick one of these to keep or not?"

"I don't know," Joey hedged as he looked at John, and then back at the soccer ball with Transformer image on it. He was sure it cost a lot of money and didn't want to get in trouble.

"Ya know, I kind of like this one," Mary stated, as she picked up the ball that had caught her son's eye. "Would you like to have it, Sweetie?"

"Could I?" Joey asked, glancing towards John as if seeking permission.

"Sure you can, Kiddo," John informed his youngest as he reached out to ruffle the child's chestnut colored mop of hair. Turning towards Dean he said, "What about you David, do you want anything?"

"Nah, I'll be too busy teaching Sammy to play soccer," David voiced, gracing his smiling brother with the coveted nickname. At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder now if that was indeed the name he should be calling his brother all of the time.

"I think maybe we could all teach Sammy to play if he'll let us," John mentioned in hopes of getting both boys to agree. "He'll need to learn to play as a team member, if he wants us to sign him up for practice for the new soccer league forming this Spring at the Recreation Department."

"You mean I could really learn to play, that you would really let me do it?" Joey asked hopefully as he glanced up at the man who could be his real father.

"Sure Kiddo, why wouldn't I?" John questioned with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Cause it would cost money, and Norman always got real mad when he had to spend money on us," Joey answered truthfully. "He always said we didn't deserve nothin' cause we were too bad."

"Yeah, well, that bast..idiot didn't know what he was talking about," John groused, wishing for the umpteenth time that he could get his hands on the man who had abused his children and beat the crap out of him.

"Your father's right Sammy. You boys deserve everything in the world and more," Mary iterated as she bent down and gave her youngest a loving hug.

"Does that mean we can get an ice cream from over there?" Joey asked shyly as he pointed to the TCBY store at the entrance of the food court? He knew he was chancing getting in trouble with asking for more, but he really wanted the savory treat.

"Sure does," John intoned as he picked Sammy up and started walking towards the place, intent on getting his boys the biggest ice cream they had.

"Awesome, sure hope they got some pie too," David injected as he walked beside the Winchesters. This was turning out to be a good day after all.

**TBC…So what did you think about the chapter? **

**Author's Note: I will be referring to the boys as Dean and Sammy more often now.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Coming Home Ch. 14**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**Previously: **_"Does that mean we can get an ice cream from over there?" Joey asked shyly as he pointed to the TCBY store at the entrance of the food court? He knew he was chancing getting in trouble with asking for more, but he really wanted the savory treat._

"_Sure does," John intoned as he picked Sammy up and started walking towards the place, intent on getting his boys the biggest ice cream they had._

"_Awesome, sure hope they got some pie too," David injected as he walked beside the Winchesters. This was turning out to be a good day after all._

Sitting at the table as he watched his brother enjoying the delicious chocolaty treat, David couldn't help but smile as he watched Mary reach over with a napkin and wipe away the chocolate that encompassed most of Joey's chin before ruffling his chestnut colored hair. Relishing in the happy moment, he couldn't help but wonder if this was what it always felt like to be part of a real family? And if so, how many moments like this had he and his sibling missed out on because of that bastard Norman. So caught up in his thinking was he, that he didn't hear the concerned voice of his father.

"Dea…David, are you okay?" John inquired once again as he lay a worried hand upon his oldest son's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just….Hey Kiddo, what do you say we go explore the rest of this mall and see what they have to offer," David voiced as he gulped down his last piece of pie and then pushed away from the table. He didn't feel like getting into a serious conversation right now with the Winchesters about what he was feeling and whether or not his memories from earlier were real.

"Okay, Joey voiced with a smile as he swiped his tongue around the edge of his mouth to lick off any ice cream left there.

"Not so fast boys, I need to get Samm..I mean Joey cleaned up better first. He's got ice cream everywhere," Mary voiced as she reached into her purse for some wet wipes to finish cleaning the child's face since the napkin wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"It's okay ya know," Joey voiced with a shrug of his shoulders. "I mean if you wanna call me Sammy."

"Sammy, it is then," John voiced around the lump in his throat as Mary's eyes misted with tears at the proclamation. It looked as if maybe their youngest was finally starting to accept them. "So, uhm, where do you boys want to go first?"

"Can we just walk around and look?" David inquired as he grasped Joey by the hand, determined not to lose his brother in the throng of people walking too close by for his comfort.

"Sure we can. You just let us know when you want to stop and look at something," Mary answered as she grasped Sammy by the other hand and then reached out and took hold of John's out stretched hand.

Walking down the long hallway, towards the area with the carousel, her mind began to wander back to the last happy time she could remember with her boys before they had been kidnapped. Sammy had wanted to ride on the carousel and she had Dean had gladly obliged the toddler at the time. She remembered picking her baby boy up and placing him on one of the horses while Dean had climbed up beside them on another.

"_Yay, we ride horsy, De'" Sammy clamored as he held onto the pole with excitement. Of course his Mommy was right there beside him to make sure he didn't fall._

Rounding the corner, to the atrium area where the carousel was located, Mary's steps suddenly faltered as her eyes took in the exact spot where her boys has been taken from her so many years ago.

"John, I…" Mary squeaked, he breathing becoming erratic as fear assailed her once again

"S'Okay baby, I'm here. Everything's alright," John voiced calmly as he pulled his wife into a comforting embrace. "Just try to breathe slowly, in and out, in and out," John encouraged as he rubbed his wife's back.

"De' what's wrong with Mary," Sammy questioned fearfully as he leaned back into his brother's embrace, unsure of the situation and whether or not he had inadvertently did something wrong.

"It's okay Sammy. Mary's just remembering something that made her really scared," Dean voiced, figuring this to be the area that he and his baby brother had most likely been stolen from if they were indeed Dean and Sam Winchester.

Hearing the tremor and fear in her baby boy's voice, Mary took a few deep breaths and pulled herself together as quickly as she possibly could.

"I'm sorry Baby, I didn't mean to scare you," Mary stated a few moments later, thankful for the supporting palm of her husband which resided on her shoulder. "What do you say we go for a ride on the carousel over there?" She would do anything to push away the fear and put a smile on her children's faces once again.

"Can we De'?" Sammy questioned as he looked up to his big brother for guidance.

"Sure we can" Dean voiced happily as he graced his parents with the first full blown smile they had actually seen from the boy, acknowledging the fact that he knew what Mary was going through and appreciated her pushing through the hurt for his Sammy.

"Well, let's get to riding then," John proclaimed as he led his small family over to the carousel and pulled a few dollars from his pocket to pay for the ride. Waiting for his boys to each climb onto a horse, he couldn't help but smile as Mary took up position beside their youngest while he and Dean climbed aboard the two closest horses.

Waiting for a few other patrons to pay and get situated upon their chosen steeds, the carousel operator called out for everyone to "hold on tight" and then started the ride to moving.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Sitting in the food court of the Mall behind a huge potted plant which kept him nearly hidden from view, a man with beady, red-rimmed eyes, and a scraggly looking unkempt beard sat watching the shoppers at the Mall as if they didn't have a care in the world. It pissed him off to see the shoppers parading about with their unruly brats that were hollering for stuff they didn't deserve. If he had his way, he would happily swat each and every child who dared ask for something within his hearing range. Children were only good for following the orders of their parents and nothing else as far as he was concerned

Groaning as he heard the music of the carousel start up, he glared at the young man who operated the ride and cussed the kid for all he was worth. The last thing he needed was that loud blaring music ratcheting up the pounding in his already throbbing skull. Damn, but he needed another drink. Pushing himself to unsteady feet, he was about to stagger away when the sight of two smiling young boys caught his eye as the carousel rotated in a merry circle.

"Sonuvabitch," he swore as he watched the two young boys disappear from sight once again. He knew without a doubt it was the two good for nothing little bastards who had taken off after he had given them a home, the ungrateful little shits, and he was going to make them pay…starting first with the whiny little brat so that his big brother would be forced to watch. They wouldn't be smiling anymore once he got finished with them. He just had to bide his time. When the time was right, he would snatch the brats away from their parents again…_and just how in the hell had they managed to find their real parents so quickly after running away was beyond him_…and he would make their lives a living hell. If they thought things were bad the first time around, then they were in for a major shock.

**~~Supernatural~~**

"Okay boys, now that we've had some fun, what do you say we go get you some new clothes," Mary voiced as they climbed down from their horses and exited the carousel area through the small gate on the right.

"You don't have to buy as any new clothes. We can make do with what we already have," David stated as he grasped his brother's hand and led him over to a small table in the dining area of the food court. The Winchesters had done more than enough just buying them the stuff they already had. Hell, it was more than Norman had ever done for them. Sure, the man had gotten them clothing and food, but he never once gave them something that they didn't absolutely have to have. And then the clothing always came from a second hand store or was scrounged out of a garbage bin.

"I'm sure you can, but it would make John and I very happy if you would let us do this for you," Mary voiced as she reached out and caressed her eldest son's cheek lightly before he flinched away, a little uncomfortable with the contact.

'Why? I mean, you don't even know if we really are yours or not. So why are you doing all of this for us?" David asked, needing a solid answer.

"Because we care about you," John stated as a matter of fact.

"But what happens if you find out we aren't Dean and Sammy? Do you forget all about us then?" David inquired as he looked the adults in the eye. "I don't want Joey to get used to getting things and feeling loved if it is all just going to be snatched away from him again. I won't allow it."

"I swear to you that won't happen," John enunciated strongly as he reached out and placed a hand on both boys shoulder.

"Yeah, well, we've heard that before. So forgive me if I don't believe you" David announced, before turning his attention to his little brother who was squirming about in his seat.

"What's the matter, Squirt?"

"De', I gotta go pee."

"Then we better go over there to the bathrooms before you pee your pants."," David joked lightly as he grabbed his brother by the hand and started to lead him over to the area where the bathrooms were located.

"Wait a minute, I'll go with you," John offered as he pushed himself from his seat.

"S'okay, I've got him," David said as he waved John's offer off. "We'll be right back."

"Okay Sport. We'll wait right here for you," John told his oldest, not wanting to overstep his boundaries. They had made some inroads with the boys trust today and he didn't want to backslide any.

Entering the men's bathroom, David led Joey over to one of the stalls and ushered him inside, making sure to stand there until the kid had locked the door. Needing to use the bathroom himself, he walked into the stall next door, not noticing the man who had walked in not too far behind them.

"Hey Kiddo, if you finish before I do, wait by the sinks for me," David admonished his little brother as he went about taking care of his own personal business.

"Okay De, I will."

Finishing his business quickly, Joey pulled up his pants and then opened the door of the stall so that he could go wash his hands. He had no sooner walked out of the small latrine area, when he suddenly found himself grabbed harshly by the arm.

"Got you, you little bastard," Norman sneered menacingly, rearing his hand back to apply the hardest smack he could to the kid's denim covered behind.

"DE', DADDY, HELP!

**TBC. **_**So, any thoughts on this chapter or as to what happens next?**_


	15. Chapter 15

**Coming Home Ch. 15**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews in the previous chapters. I truly do appreciate each and every one of them!**

**Previously: **_Finishing his business quickly, Joey pulled up his pants and then opened the door of the stall so that he could go wash his hands. He had no sooner walked out of the small latrine area, when he suddenly found himself grabbed harshly by the arm._

"_Got you, you little bastard," Norman sneered menacingly, rearing his hand back to apply the hardest smack he could to the kid's denim covered behind._

"_DE', DADDY, HELP!_

**Moments Earlier:**

Watching his boys walk away to the bathroom, John couldn't help but feel nervous about leaving them to go by themselves. The boys had barely been out of their sight since he and Mary had brought them home and…

"John, I don't like the idea of the boys going to the bathroom by themselves,"' Mary stated fretfully, as she interrupted John's thoughts. "I have a very bad feeli…"

"Me too, Honey," John voiced anxiously as he quickly made his way over to the bathroom area, the hairs on the back of his neck sticking up in agitation. He had no sooner rounded the corner and prepared to walk in the latrine area when he heard the sound of his youngest calling out in fear.

"_DE', DADDY, HELP!_

Skidding into the bathroom on nearly running feet, John literally saw red from anger when his eyes took in the sight of his youngest being held in the grip of some asshole, the man obviously preparing to abuse his baby boy's backside.

"Hold it right there you freaking sonuvabitch" John yelled furiously as he thrust his own hand out and caught the other man's hand and kept it from swinging forward at the same time as a bathroom stall door opened and Dean came rushing out, his pants undone and hanging off of his waist.

Spinning the man around with the fierce grip he had on his wrist with his left hand, John swung his right just as hard as he could and punched the man in the nose, Norman's cartilage crunching under the assault.

"You stinking moron, I dink you just boke my bose," Norman snarled as his hands rose to stem the blood now freely flowing from his nostrils.

"That's not all I'm going to do to you," John sneered, before turning his attention to Joey who was trembling badly from the shock of what had just happened. Knowing the kid had to get away from the situation as quickly as possible, he turned to his eldest and said, "Take Sammy to your mother. Now, Dean. Go!"

John had no sooner said the words, when David pulled up his pants, grabbed his shell-shocked brother's hand and started to leave the bathroom. Striding away from Norman, he turned around abruptly for just a moment and then swung his foot out and hit the man between the legs as hard as he could.

"Take that, you evil bastard," Dean cursed, his foot connecting hard with Norman's most private of body parts.

The air rushed from between Norman's lips in a high pitched squeal from the attack, the child abuser unable to form any intelligible words as he quickly collapsed to his knees, his cupped hands leaving his nose and going to cradle his abused testicles.

Feeling justified with his action, David grabbed Joey's hand once again and led him quickly out of the bathroom and as far away from Norman as he could get him.

**~~Supernatural~~ **

Standing outside of the men's bathrooms, Mary nervously shifted from foot to foot as she waited on her boys to finish their business and come back to her. She couldn't stand having them out of her sight for even just a minute, not while they were inside the godforsaken Mall where her boys had been kidnapped from years earlier.

'Come on, come on," she whispered, as she felt her hands and face begin to tingle. She knew she was on the edge of having a panic attack, but she couldn't help it.

Nearly hyperventilating when she heard a commotion come from within the bathroom, she started moving forward only to be nearly tackled to the floor as her boys rounded the corner and Sammy rushed to her side.

"Mommy," Sammy cried as he wrapped his arms around her waist and sobbed.

"Sammy, Dean?" Mary questioned apprehensively as she kneeled down and pulled the crying child onto her lap.

"Nor-Norman was in there and he almost hu-hurt Joey," David informed his mother as he too began to slightly tremble from shock or rage, he didn't know which.

"OH MY GOD," Mary gasped as she began to rock her child back and forth in an effort to comfort her youngest, while reaching out to palm Dean's face with one hand in a bid to comfort him also. Knowing that she had to pull herself together quickly or risk Sammy sliding further into shock, she did the one thing she always used to do when her boys were upset or sick and needed comforting so long ago.

"_Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song, and make it better,"_ She began to sing as a crowd gathered around them.

Sitting in Mary's arms as she softly crooned to him, Joey had a very slight flash of a memory of being held by a woman with blonde hair as she sung to him.

"M-Mommy?" Sammy wailed as he leaned into Mary's comforting embrace.

"Mommy's here Baby, Mommy's here," Mary replied as she wrapped her arm tightly around the little one in her arms. Her heart soaring at the fact that Sammy had finally called her Mommy. Her moment of elation however was interrupted by the sound of a male voice nearby.

"Ma'am, is there something wrong?" a burly security guard inquired as he made his way through the throng of people surrounding the woman and her sobbing child and approached them cautiously so as not to frighten them.

"You're damn right there's something wrong," David answered as his fists clenched with the need to hit someone. "That damn pervert Norman just tried to hurt my brother in the bathroom and I'm going to go back in there and kill him."

"Whoa there. You need to calm down son; your brother needs you out here," the guard voiced calmly, though he was seething inside at the thought of some pervert hurting a little kid on his watch. "You help take care of him and I'll handle the man in the bathroom,"

"But," David complained, before Mary reached out and grasped him gently by the wrist.

"Baby, we…Sammy needs you here," Mary softly voiced, smiling as her eldest dropped to his knees and began to card his fingers through his sobbing brother's hair. She couldn't handle either of her children being away from her right now.

Ushering the crowd back some to give them some privacy, James, the security guard checked on the small family to make sure they would be okay before making his way to the restroom to make sure the bastard inside could never hurt anyone, especially a child, once again.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Smirking as the degenerate man writhed on the floor in front of him; John silently cheered his eldest son as he watched him walk out the door. The man deserved everything he was presently getting and more for what he had done to his boys. Snatching the man up by his shirt, John pushed him roughly into the wall, Norman's head bouncing off of it with a thud.

"You think that hurts, just wait until I get finished with you," John promised as he released one hand and punched Norman just as hard as he could in the stomach. "I'm going to tear you to pieces."

"Please, I…I din't do anything," Norman wheezed, as blood poured from his nose and down over his lips, hoping for a few moments respite against the onslaught. He needed to catch his breath so he could launch his own assault against the man attacking him now.

"Bullshit," John snarled as he wrapped a muscular hand around Norman's throat and pushed him against the wall once again. "You took five years from me and my family that we can never get back again and for that, you are going to pay big time."

"You ought to be glad I took the little worthless bas..." Norman started to say before he felt his oxygen supply being cut off as John began to choke the life out of him.

"Don't you ever call my sons worthless bastards ever again," John growled, pure hatred evident in his voice, as he drew his right fist back and punched Norman in the face one again, the imbecile's right eye immediately swelling and beginning to color with the force of the impact. "And if you ever lay another hand one either of them again, I WILL KILL YOU!" John promised, unknowingly repeating the same threat that David had made.

The oath had no sooner been spoken, when the sound of footsteps could be heard walking into the bathroom.

"I'll handle things from here sir," James stated in a calm voice as he slowly approached the enraged man who held the unsub, or unidentified subject, in a firm choke hold. He couldn't blame the man for what he was doing, especially after having heard everything that transpired between the two, but he couldn't let the man kill the culprit either. "You need to let him go."

"No, I'm not finished with this scum yet," John grumbled, his body nearly trembling with rage.

"Look Mister, I understand how you feel, but that little boy out there needs his Daddy," James intoned in an effort to diffuse the situation. "I promise you, I will make sure this man is held until the police arrive."

Reining in his temper, John knew he had to calm himself down before he did something he would really regret. His family needed him and he couldn't be there for him if he was stuck behind bars in a jail cell because of his actions. Taking a few deep breaths, he turned to the security guard and saw the determination in the man's eyes. "Make sure that you do, because I won't be held accountable if that man ever comes near my children ever again."

Breathing deeply once again, John pulled himself together and left the enclosed area. He desperately needed to make sure his boys were safe. Walking out into the food court area, his heart nearly broke at seeing Sammy sobbing in his mother's arms.

"Shh, Tiger. Everything's alright now" John voiced as he kneeled down beside his small family, pulled them into a group hug and softly caressed Sammy's cheek with his knuckles. "That man will never touch you again."

"Ho-Honey, can we just get out of here, please?" Mary beseeched as she looked up at her husband imploringly. She couldn't stand being in the Mall one moment longer, not after everything that had just happened.

"Yeah, just as soon as I give a statement to the police," John answered, as he noticed the men in blue approaching from the distance. If the police needed to talk to his children also, it could be done in the safety of their own home.

Standing up, he traipsed over to meet the men halfway and talked with them for quite a few minutes before returning to his family.

"Come on; let's get the hell out of here."

**TBC**. **Sorry for the wait, we have a new addition to the family...a beautiful baby girl that I was spending my time with. I hope this chapter made up for it.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Coming Home Ch. 16**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**Previously: **_"Yeah, just as soon as I give a statement to the police," John answered, as he noticed the men in blue approaching from the distance. If the police needed to talk to his children also, it could be done in the safety of their own home. Standing up, he traipsed over to meet the men halfway and talked with them for quite a few minutes before returning to his family. "Come on; let's get the hell out of here."_

Leading his family out of the Mall, John's mind was awash with the events that happened over the course of the past thirty minutes or so. He visibly shuddered as he thought about the fact the he very well came close to losing his youngest again today, possibly both his boys. If he hadn't went into the bathroom when he did…well, he didn't want to even consider the outcome. So lost was he in his thoughts of what could have been that he failed to notice his physical reaction had been noticed by his children.

"Da-Mr. Winchester, are you o-okay?" Sammy inquired hesitantly as he looked up at the visibly shaken man. He wasn't sure what to call John after the incident in the mall. Maybe after causing such a mess, the Winchesters wouldn't want them anymore, and he wouldn't blame them if that turned out to be the case.

"Yeah, Tiger, I'm fine," John answered with a smile as he reached down to ruffle his youngest child's hair before lifting him into his arms and pulling him close. "You know, you can call me Daddy if you want too. I really like hearing it."

"C-Can De' call you Daddy too?" Sammy asked before nervously chewing on his bottom lip as he glanced at his older sibling. Yeah, he was still nearly scared out of his mind from the episode with Norman, but the Winchesters had made him feel safer than he ever thought he would feel with an adult when they held him tight after what had happened, and because of this, he needed some answers.

"Sure Bud, that would be awesome," John answered, making sure Dean saw the honesty of his answer in his eyes. More than anything he wanted to be acknowledged by his kids as their father.

"But w-what happens when we start calling you D-Daddy? Does that mean you'll start hu-hurting us like N- Nor-Norman did?" Sammy questioned a little fearfully. To him, the word _'Daddy'_ was usually associated with pain, and he would rather things stay the way they were with the Winchesters. At least he and his brother had a roof over their heads, and food in their stomachs, well…that is if they were still wanted.

Mary's heart nearly shattered as she listened to the words that Sammy was saying. Her little boy didn't know what it meant to have the love of a family and parents that truly cared about him.

"Hey Little Dude, you need to quit asking so many questions," Dean piped in as he noticed Mary flinch with his baby brother's latest words. He knew that Sammy was asking the questions because of nervousness, the way he always did when he was upset, but he also knew that the Winchesters were tense after what happened in the mall with Norman, and he was worried that his brother's incessant questions would make the Winchesters more upset than they already were and one of them would strike out at him or his younger sibling.

"S'okay Dean, uh, I mean David," John stammered, unsure of what name to use for his eldest. "I don't mind answering all of his questions.

Turning his attention back to the little one in his arms, John said, "To answer your question Kiddo, the answer is definitely not. Father's DO NOT hurt their children. They shower them with love and attention and provide for all of their needs. They play games with them and make sure that their children know they are the most important thing to them in the world."

"But I don't understand. If that's what a father does, then why did Norman always hurt me and De'?" Sammy inquired.

"Because he was not a real father," Mary answered quickly before John could reply. "He was a good for nothing bas…person who had no idea what it meant to love somebody with all of his heart. He was a monster who should have never been allowed to get close to you or any children for that matter."

"Your Mom's right, Sammy, Norman wasn't and never will be a real father. He never earned the right to be called Daddy and now he'll go to a place where he will never hurt you or anyone else again," John informed his son as they finally arrived back at the Impala.

"You promise Daddy?" Sammy asked as John opened the door and ushered his children inside.

"I promise Kiddo. You don't ever have to worry about him again," John replied as he opened the door for his wife so that Mary could ride shotgun in the front seat before walking around and getting in himself.

Waiting for the car to start up so that his voiced wouldn't be heard over the engine, Sammy immediately snuggled himself into his brother's side and asked, "De', do you think Daddy meant what he said, that he will never hurt us?"

"Yeah, I think so Tiger," Dean answered, even though he wasn't one hundred percent convinced yet. John and Mary had both gained huge points in his eyes with the way they had protected and calmed his baby brother, but he needed more time to know for sure. He couldn't help but worry that sooner or later, one of them would make a huge mistake and the Winchesters' true personas would come out. Wrapping an arm around Sammy's shoulder, he pulled his brother close in an effort to calm his own nerves.

**~~Supernatural~~**

"Okay, I think we have just about everything we need to have a solid case against the man who attacked your foster children this afternoon," Officer Mike Labinski informed John and Mary as he placed his notepad in his uniform pocket and rose to his feet after having talked with Dean and Sammy for approximately two hours. "Thank you for your time."

He had hated putting the boys, especially the small one, though the tough questioning so soon after the incident, but he wanted to make sure that no stone was left unturned, especially after learning that the man who had nearly kidnapped the boys was also the man who had raised and abused them for the last few years. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was a child abuser and the degenerate bastard deserved to rot in hell from what he had learned over the course of his questioning. He had started to make his way to the door when he was stopped in his tracks by Mary.

"Officer Labinski, I think there is something else you need to know, something that might weigh heavily with this case before you leave," Mary voiced quickly before the officer could leave. She wanted to get everything out in the open.

"I'm listening," Mike stated as he glanced curiously at the blonde haired woman. He was pretty sure he had covered everything with his questioning.

"I think you need to know that John and I believe that these two are not just our foster children, but that they are our children by blood also," Mary voiced as she grabbed John's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Wh-what?" Mike inquired, total astonishment evident in his voice. He was just a rookie years ago, but he very well remembered the case of the Winchester children who had been kidnapped from the Mall. The detectives had followed many leads in trying to locate the boys, but the trail had gone cold on them a couple of years back. "What makes you think that?"

"I know it probably sounds stupid, but I felt in my heart from the moment I saw the boys that they could be Dean and Sammy. And then when we heard Joey refer to his big brother as De', it really got our suspicions going," Mary apprized the bewildered policeman.

"Then when we also overheard David/Dean refer to his baby brother as Sammy, it only confirmed our suspicions," John added as he pulled the boys close. "We believed it to be true, so much so that I secretly collected some samples of their hair and a few bristles from their toothbrushes to have a DNA test done on them."

"Huh?" Dean questioned warily as he swiveled around to look at John. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because we didn't want to get your hopes up just in case things didn't work out the way we believe they will," Mary enlightened her eldest, hoping that the boy wouldn't be too upset with them.

"De' what's a DNA test?" Sammy asked as he gazed up at his big brother.

"It's a test they do with your hair that somehow shows who your real parents are," Dean answered, not going into the logistics since Sammy was way too young to understand about genetics. Hell, he barely understood it himself.

"Did the tests say who our really Mommy and Daddy is?" Sammy asked somewhat hopefully.

"Well, it takes a little while to do the tests Sport and we haven't gotten the results back yet," John answered as a knock was heard upon the door.

"Wonder who that could be?" Mary questioned as she watched her husband walk over to greet whoever was at their front door.

Pulling open the wooden door, John was surprised to see none other than Danny, his friend from the hospital who was handling the DNA tests for him.

"Danny? What brings you here? Please tell me you have the results of the DNA test," John pleaded, as he noticed the manila folder in his friend's hand.

"That's exactly why I'm here," Danny informed his friend, as he strode into the house, a little surprised to see the policeman standing there. "I knew you would want to hear the results as soon as I had them.

"And what do they say?" John queried anxiously as he grasped Mary's hand, desperately, yet almost afraid, to hear the answer.

"After thorough testing, I can tell you that…

**TBC. Still interested? **

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews you left me with the last chapter. Sorry I didn't get to all of them with a reply. I promise to do better with this chapter.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Coming Home Ch. 17**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**Previously: **_"And what do the DNA test results say?" John queried anxiously as he grasped Mary's hand, desperately, yet almost afraid, to hear the answer._

"After thorough testing, I can tell you that the results prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that David and Joey are indeed your biological children," Danny answered with a smile, much to the delight of the Winchesters.

"Oh my God, all of my dreams and prayers have finally been answered," Mary voiced happily as tears began to roll down her face unabatedly. "I mean, I knew it in my heart, but to have it finally confirmed, you've just given me the most wonderful gift I could have ever received, I mean other than having given birth to these two beautiful boys."

"Thank God, we finally have them back where they belong," John whispered, almost afraid that this moment was just a dream, as a few tears rolled down his face also. "I never thought this moment would ever come."

"Are-Are you sure? I mean, could you have made a big mistake?" Dean interrupted, his voice nearly breaking as he looked at the stranger standing before him.

"No child, there's no mistake," Danny answered as he placed a firm hand on the astonished boy's shoulder. "The test results are 99.9% conclusive. John and Mary are your real parents, yours and Sammy's."

"I c-can't…I d-don't know…I," Dean stammered as his brain tried to assimilate what he had just been told. Unsure of what he was supposed to do now or how he was supposed to react; he turned around and raced up the steps to the safety of his and Sammy's bedroom.

"De? De, what's wrong?" Sammy cried out as he watched his brother run off without him. He couldn't understand why Dean would just leave him standing there with everybody.

"Shh, it's okay Baby. Dean will be fine, he's just having trouble dealing with things right now," Mary cooed to her youngest as she knelt down and wrapped him in her arms as tears began to roll down her baby boy's face.

"De, I want De," Sammy wailed as he tried to push away from Mary. "Please?"

"Don't cry sweetie, I'm going to take you to him right now," Mary lamented as she picked the little boy up and hugged him, before looking at John sadly and moving towards the steps. Her boys were hurting right now and she wasn't sure how to make it better for them. She thought everything would have been all candy canes and lollipops when the news was revealed. She hadn't prepared herself for the fact that the boys could be stunned by the news and need time to deal with what they were feeling.

"I'm sorry to have to say this with everything that is happening right now, but this news definitely puts a new spin on things," Officer Mike Labinski informed John as gently as he could, knowing that the man's world was crumbling around him. "Either myself or the detectives who worked your sons kidnapping case will need to talk to the boys again when they're up to it. We need to know if they remember the kidnapping and if it was that miscreant we have arrested who took them or not."

"I...I would rather it be you," John voiced shakily as he swiped a hand across his lower jaw area. "I don't want them put through any more trauma than necessary. They've already been through so much as it is and I think they would be more comfortable if..."

"I'll see what I can do," Mike informed the stressed parent before him. "I'll give you a call later to set up a time to talk to the boys again."

"Thanks, I'll uh, I'll walk you out," John stated, glancing up the stairwell before escorting the police officer to the door. He really needed to be near his children right now if they would let him.

"I think I'll go ahead and leave also so that you and your family can have some time to yourselves," Danny informed his friend as he grasped John's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze of support.

"Thanks Buddy, I appreciate it," John murmured, reaching out to shake his friend's hand. "Thanks for getting back to us so quickly with the results also."

"Anytime my friend," Danny voiced with a sad smile before taking his leave. He really hoped the small family could work through things quickly. John and his wife deserved to have some happiness in their lives, not to mention those two precious boys who had evidently been put through hell.

Closing the door behind the two men and locking it, John took a few deep breaths to pull himself together before making his way upstairs also.

**~~Moments earlier~~**

Arriving upstairs to find the door to the boys' bedroom closed, Mary knocked softly on it as Sammy quietly sobbed in her arms.

"Dean, honey, it's Mom."

"Please, just go away," Dean pleaded of his mother. He didn't feel like talking right now.

"Honey, Sammy is upset and crying for you. Is it okay if we come in?" Mary inquired with baited breath, waiting for an answer.

It took only seconds for her to hear the soft sound of her eldest son's footsteps approaching the door. Pasting on a smile, she anxiously waited as the door slowly opened and then drew in a quick breath upon noticing Dean's red-rimmed eyes.

Reaching out his arms toward his younger sibling, Dean said, "Let me have him and then you can go. We need to be by ourselves for a little while."

"Okay Sweetie, whatever you say," Mary agreed as she quickly transferred Sammy from her arms to those of his big brother. She was really hoping that they could talk, but she also knew that if she pushed Dean too hard right now, that it could be the _straw that broke the camel's back_ as the saying went. "I'll be just down the hall in my room if you or Sammy needs me.

"Yeah, fine, whatever," Dean replied as he shut the door and then carried Sammy over to the bed where he could comfort his baby brother and make sure he was okay.

Sitting on the bed, he placed Sammy right in front of him and then used his thumbs to swipe away his sibling's tears. "Sorry, I scared you by taking off the way I did Little Dude, that's wasn't fair of me."

"Why did you leave me De'? You promised you would never leave me alone, ever," Sammy hiccupped through his sobs.

"I was just all mixed up, Kiddo. I didn't realize what I had done until it was too late. Forgive me Squirt?"

"Uh huh, but don't do it ever again," Sammy answered as he scooted forward into his brother's lap seeking comfort from the older boy.

"I won't Kiddo," Dean voiced as he scooted back to the headboard of the bed and let Sammy rest against his chest.

Sitting quietly for a few moments, Sammy finally broke the silence by looking up at his big brother and asking, "De' why was you all mixed up?"

'It's hard to explain Sammy. I'm just having a hard time dealing with finding out that John and Mary are our real parents after everything we've been through," Dean answered after a moment's thought. "I mean, I'm happy to know we finally have our real mom and dad, but I'm angry too. Angry that they never found us and angry that we never got to have the happy life we should have had."

"Me too," Sammy agreed as he relaxed against his brother once again. "De, is it for real for always now. John and Mary will be our parents forever and we don't ever have to go back to Norman?"

"Sure is, Munchkin," Dean answered, a small smile beginning to tug at his lips, as he began to card his fingers through his brother's chestnut colored hair. It was wonderful to know they would never have to spend another night under the same roof with that bastard ever again.

"De' I'm tired," Sammy stated with a yawn as he curled up on his side, his head pillowed on his big brother's chest.

"I'm not surprised with everything you've been through today. Get some sleep then, Tiger. I'm not going anywhere," Dean informed his brother as he kept up the comforting motion of tugging his fingers through Sammy's hair. He would use the time to think about things and how he was expected to act now around the Winchesters. And he would prepare himself to handle the nightmares that were sure to come once Norman invaded Sammy's dreams.

**~~Supernatural~~**

Standing outside the door as he listened to his boys talking, John couldn't help but shed a few more tears as he listened to Dean admit how angry he was that they had been denied the life they should have been for the past five years. God, how he wished that they had been able to find them all those years ago so they wouldn't have been put through so much pain and abuse. He was angry himself; angry with the detectives for never having found them, and angry with himself that he hadn't been there to protect his boys on the day they had been taken.

Placing his hand upon the doorknob, John started to turn it, and then changed his mind. His sons needed some time to adjust to the news, and he was going to give it to them, even if it killed him inside to do so. He wanted so badly to go into the room and just hold them and tell them how sorry he was that they never found them, but they would just be words with no meaning at this time.

Sighing despondently, he placed the palm of his hand against the door and whispered, "I love you boys," before silently walking away. There was someone else who undoubtedly needed his comfort right now.

Striding down the small hallway between the boys room and theirs, John wasn't in the least bit surprised to open the door to the master bedroom to find Mary lying on the bed with tears streaming down her face. Knowing that words were not needed, he walked over to the king sized bed and lay down beside his wife, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close.

"I…I thought that everything would be better when the boys heard the news. I mean, I knew it wouldn't be perfect, all sunshine and roses, but I didn't think…" Mary drifted off with a sob as she roll over and cried into that olive green USMC t-shirt that covered her husband's muscular chest.

"I know Sweetheart. I was feeling the same way myself, even though I knew there was always the chance that they could react unexpectedly." John informed his wife as he rubbed her back comfortingly. "We just have to give them some time to get used to the situation. I'm sure that they'll have some questions that need answering and we need to be prepared to give them those answers. For now, let's just try to get some sleep. I'm sure it's going to be a long night."

**TBC**


	18. Chapter 18

**Coming Home Ch. 18**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**Previously: **_"I know Sweetheart. I was feeling the same way myself, even though I knew there was always the chance that they could react unexpectedly." John informed his wife as he rubbed her back comfortingly. "We just have to give them some time to get used to the situation. I'm sure that they'll have some questions that need answering and we need to be prepared to give them those answers. For now, let's just try to get some sleep. I'm sure it's going to be a long night._

John's fears were confirmed just an hour or so later when he and Mary heard the sound of terrified screaming coming from the boys' room just down the hall.

"Sammy," Mary and John both gasped at the same time, each becoming fully alert, as they thrust themselves up from the bed in an effort to get to their youngest as quickly as possible. Pulling open the bedroom door, John made his way out into the hallway and was at Dean and Sammy's door in five long strides.

Flinging open the door, John lunged into the boys' room, unintentionally scaring his youngest even more, as he immediately scanned the room for any signs of danger, ready to defend his boys to the death if necessary. Finding nothing, he turned his attention to the boys where he saw Mary now sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing Sammy's back as Dean held the little one cradled to his chest while he whispered words of comfort.

"Dean, what happened, is he okay?" John queried as he walked over to stand by his wife's side.

"He had a nightmare. It's nothing I can't handle, so the two of you can go back to bed," Dean informed his parents as he glared at them for having burst in the room and scaring his baby brother even more than he already was. "And it's David."

Sure, he knew his real name was Dean now, but it had been drummed into his head for so long about how badly he or his sibling would be beaten if they dared even thinking about using the names of Dean and Sammy or saying them aloud again. He still remembered with vivid clarity how Norman had busted his nose and blackened both eyes when he had challenged him in a moment of anger, arguing that his name would always be Dean and not David.

"Honey, if that's the name you want us to use, then we will. But I think maybe you should try using your birth name for a while. You might find you like it more," Mary voiced hopefully as she reached out to palm her eldest son's cheek, trying not to sigh aloud as he turned his head away from her.

"Bu-But Norman hurted De' re-really b-bad last time he tried to use the name Dean," Sammy hiccoughed between sobs as he tried to pull himself together. He didn't want his big brother to get into trouble.

"I should have killed that sorry sonuvabitch when I had my hands on him," John swore under his breath as he fought to control his emotions. His boys didn't need to be any more terrified than they already were.

''Well, you don't have to worry about that happening anymore because that bas…man is in jail now and he will NEVER hurt the two of you ever again," Mary stated believingly as she reached out to brush aside the hair that had fallen in front of Sammy's eyes.

"Yo-you promise?" Sammy asked as he looked up hopefully at the two adults.

"As much as I can promise anything," John avowed with a forced smile. He hated that the boys would be compelled to sit down and talk about their life with Norman with Officer Labinski sometime in the near future, but it had to be done if they were going to put that barbarian Norman behind bars for the rest of his life. "There will be a time when you and Dean, I mean David, will have to talk to the cops again, but your Mom and I will be right there beside you."

"I gu…I guess it's alright if you call me Dean," Dean finally acquiesced, though a little uncomfortably. If they were going to get over what happened to them in the past, then they needed to try and start anew, even if that meant getting used to new names.

"Dean it is," Mary announced with the brightest smile that her husband had seen in years.

"Can-Can I ask you a question?" Dean inquired a little skittishly after a couple moments of uncomfortable silence.

"Sure Champ, what is it?" John asked he too sat down on the edge of the boys' bed. He didn't want the boys feeling as though he were looking down on them.

"How are we supposed to act now that we really are your children? I mean, what's expected of us? " Dean asked.

"I don't understand what you mean," John admitted as he tried to gauge what point Dean was trying to make.

"I just want to know what we can and can't do? I mean, are you going to backhand us in the mouth and bloody our lips if we disagree with you or get too loud? Are you going to lock Sammy in the closet when he cries because he doesn't feel well?" Dean asked shakily. "Things like that."

Thrusting a palm over her mouth to keep from crying out, Mary looked to John to answer the question.

"First of all Bud, I want you to know that neither Mary nor I will ever hit you in anger. You won't be backhanded across the mouth, or hit anywhere else, for getting loud or voicing an opinion. If you have something you think is important to say, then we want to hear it," John replied as he placed a hand on Dean's knee and gave it a squeeze. "As for the closet, I will take all the locks and door handles off of them right now if you want me to."

"That's right," Mary agreed as she finally pulled herself together. "Boys are supposed to get loud when they play. And when anyone is sick in this house, they get taken care of with the best motherly attention I can give them.

"What's that mean?" Sammy asked inquisitively. He never really remembered having a mom to take care of him.

"It means that I will hug and cuddle you. It means that I will cook you a pot of my best tomato rice soup to make you feel better, and then I will rock you in my arms and sing to you until you are feeling much better," Mary answered succinctly.

"What about when we're bad and need to be punished?" Dean asked, needing an answer. "Will you pull down our jeans and boxers and beat us with a belt 'til we can't sit down for days?"

"Most definitely not," John answered as calmly as possible, clenching his fists as he tried to curtail his anger, wondering just what other kinds of abuse his boys had been forced to suffer through with Norman. "In this house, time out is used as punishment. If we feel that you've done something you need to be punished for, then you will be required to stand in a corner for a certain amount of time, basically one minute for each year of your age or we might take away TV time or something like that. You won't be physically punished in any way."

"Is there anything else you want or need an answer to?" Mary asked as she reached out to card her fingers through Dean's hair. She was willing to answer her son's questions all night long if that was what it took to make him feel secure.

"No. Right now, I just want….," Dean started to voice before his face turned a crimson red as his stomach rumbled very loudly.

"Oh mercy, look at the time. I should have cooked dinner long ago," Mary gasped as she looked at her watch. It was nearing 9:00 at night and the boys hadn't eaten anything since the pizza they consumed at the mall.

"S'okay, we can just eat a peanut butter sandwich if that's okay," Dean stated as he looked to Sammy for conformation, receiving a nod from his baby brother in return.

"How about I make some of my super sub sandwiches instead," John offered as an alternative. They would be filling and the boys wouldn't go hungry through the night.

"What's a super sub sam'wich," Sam asked as he pushed himself up from Dean's chest where he had been resting the whole time.

"Well, it's a sandwich that is made with a roll and it has ham, salami, turkey, lettuce, and lots of other good stuff," John informed his youngest as he hoisted Sam into his arms. Sure, the kid was nearing seven years old, but he had missed out on holding him for so much of his life that he just couldn't resist doing it now.

"I ain't never had a sam'wich like that," Sammy informed his father as he relaxed into John's hold. "What if I don't like it, do I hafta eat it anyways?"

"No way Kiddo" John answered as he ruffled his youngest chestnut colored hair. "We'll just make you something that you do like to eat instead."

"Cool", Sammy responded with a sigh of relief. It was nice to know that maybe he would never have to eat spinach again.

"Well then, let's go eat. I'm starving myself," John said, as he started towards the door, before turning to look back at his eldest. "You coming Champ?"

"Yes Sir," Dean replied as he climbed out of the bed and followed behind his father with Mary bringing up the rear.

"What a beautiful sight," Mary thought to herself as she relished in watching her three men walking out of the room, a sight she wouldn't trade for all of the money in the world. Following her small family down the stairway, Mary watched as John sat Sammy down at the table and then walked over to the fridge to get the meat for the sandwiches.

"Hey Dean, how about grabbing some rolls from the bread box for me," John called out as he gathered the meat, cheese slices, lettuce tomatoes, and mayonnaise they would need.

Walking over to the old time looking wooden breadbox on the counter in the far corner, Dean did as instructed and asked, "Is there anything else you need me to get, John?"

"Yeah, we'll also need a butter knife from the silverware drawer," John answered, trying to not to show his disappointment at being referred to by his given name. He knew it would take time and earned trust before Dean would start calling him Dad.

Strolling back to the table after getting the aforementioned knife, Dean couldn't help but wonder if allowing John and Mary into their hearts would leave him and Sammy shattered once again. Was he making a huge mistake in allowing Sammy to become close to these people who could eventually hurt them again in the long run? Only time would tell.

**TBC **


	19. Chapter 19

**Coming Home Ch. 19**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

**Previously: **_Strolling back to the table after getting the aforementioned knife, Dean couldn't help but wonder if allowing John and Mary into their hearts would leave him and Sammy shattered once again. Was he making a huge mistake in allowing Sammy to become close to these people who could eventually hurt them again in the long run? Only time would tell._

Early the next morning found the Winchesters all in the kitchen once again as they prepared to sit down to a scrumptious breakfast of blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes, orange juice, and milk. It would be their first breakfast together as a true family and Mary was relishing every second of it, from the way Sammy sat down at the table and rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his fists to the way that Dean scooted his chair closer to his younger sibling. Sure, she knew that her eldest was still wary of them, especially where his baby brother was concerned, but hopefully that would change as time went by.

Placing the pancakes on the table, Mary was surprised to see both her children's faces suddenly blanch at the sight of the sweet breakfast. "Dean, Sammy, what is it?" she inquired as she glanced over to John worriedly.

"Nothing," Dean mumbled, wrapping an arm around Sammy's shoulders and pulling his baby brother to his chest. "May we be excused?"

"Boys, please? We can't help if you don't tell us what's wrong," John intoned as he reached out to place a comforting hand on Sammy's shoulder, only to draw it back when the small child physically flinched away at the touch.

"It's just that Sammy doesn't like blueberries," Dean answered, hoping that would be enough to appease the Winchesters.

"Dean honey, that was a strong reaction the two of you just had. I know it is more than Sammy just not liking blueberries. Please tell us," Mary implored as she clasped her hands to keep from reaching out and pulling her youngest into her arms. He needed the comfort of his big brother right now.

"We, uh, Norman took us to a small diner to eat breakfast one day when we didn't have any food in the house. He, uh, he wouldn't let us order for ourselves and just got everyone blueberry pancakes cause they were the cheapest thing on the menu," Dean explained as he rubbed Sammy's back when the child sobbed into his shirt once again. "When Sammy took a bite, he didn't like it and gagged at the taste. He asked for something else and it really pissed Norman off. He had them box the pancakes up for us and we left. When we, uh, when we got home, he blistered Sammy's butt with his belt and then forced him to eat every last bit, even after Sammy threw up into his plate."

"If I ever get my hands on that sonuvabitch again, I swear I will rip him from limb to limb," John vowed as he picked up the platter of pancakes, walked over to the corner of the kitchen and tossed them in the trash. No way would they be able to eat the blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes now, probably never ever again.

"Oh baby, I'm so sorry. I wish I had known what happened," Mary voiced as she reached out and carded her fingers through Sammy's chestnut colored hair. "I swear to you Kiddo, that I will never make blueberry pancakes ever again."

"S'o-o-okay," Sammy sniffled as he glanced up at Mary, while still clinging to Dean's shirt. "You didn't know."

"Hey Sport, what do you say we raid the cupboards and see what kind of cereal we can find?" John asked with a smile as he kneeled in front of his youngest.

"I'm no-not hungry right now. Can me and De' just g-go up to our room, please?" Sammy begged as he reached up to swipe his tears away with the sleeve of his pajama shirt.

"Sure you can baby," Mary answered as she swiped away her own tears. "You two just come back down when you're ready, Okay?"

"Thanks," Dean stated sincerely, before hefting his baby brother into his arms, since the kid was still quite small for his age, and carrying him up the stairs.

Watching as her boys traversed the stairs; Mary wondered just how many more blunders she would make before fully understanding everything her boys had been through. One thing was for sure, they needed to sit down and talk soon about things so an incident like this never happened again.

Swiping the tears once again, she huffed at the sound of the phone ringing; she definitely was not in the mood to talk to anybody.

"It's okay Baby, I'll get it," John informed his wife as he reached out to pick up telephone receiver. Answering the phone, he listened for a few minutes before hanging it up and glancing at Mary with a slight look of dread.

"That was Officer Labinski. He will be over in a few hours to interview the boys about their time with the bastard who kidnapped them."

**~~Supernatural~~**

Sitting in the Winchester's living room a few hours later, Mike tried to appear as non-threatening as possible as he began to interview the boys. He hated having to do the interview so soon after what had happened at the Mall, but the detectives who spearheaded the missing person's case on the Winchester boys were pressing him to get details of the kidnapping and subsequent disappearance, or they would interview the boys themselves.

"Dean, Sam, I know you boys have had a rough couple of days and I'm sorry to have to do this right now, but I need to ask you some questions about what happened to the two of you over the past few years," Mike began, turning on a voice recorder. as he scooted forward in his seat and turned his complete attention to the young men.

"Wh-What do you need to know?" Dean asked, pulling Sam into his lap as the youngster began to tremble slightly from fright.

"First of all, I know Sam was probably too young since he was just a toddler at the time, but do you remember anything about the day you were kidnapped? More specifically, was it the same man we arrested at the Mall who kidnapped you and have you been with him all this time?" Mike queried softly, trying to put the youngest Winchester more at ease.

"I don't remember a whole lot about the first year or two, but I do remember small patches of being at the Mall with some blonde lady. I guess it was Mom," Dean answered as his mind wondered back to that time. "I remember we were going to the carousel and then this lady, who later became our Mom, was hollering about something, I don't remember what. Next thing I knew, this man came up behind us and snatched Sammy and me into his arms and started taking us away. I thought maybe he was a policeman because he had a uniform on so I didn't holler for mom or anything because I thought he was taking us to a safe place."

"Was it Norman who did this to you Dean?" Mike asked gently.

"Ye-Yeah," the blonde haired pre-teen stuttered as he involuntarily shivered at the memory. If only he had known…

"Can you tell me what happened afterwards?" the lean young officer inquired, interrupting Dean's thoughts.

"I remember him driving us away in a van. I think we must have drove all night because I remember falling asleep when it was dark, and then waking up in the morning time and we were still driving," Dean said as he wrapped his arms more securely around Sam.

"What happened next?"

"When we finally stopped, I told Norman that we wanted to go back to our Mom and he slapped me real hard across the face and I could feel my lips bleeding," Dean answered, looking over at Mary when he heard her gasp aloud. "When I stopped crying, he told me that he and the woman who took us were our parents now and we better get used to the idea or we would be punished every day."

"And did he punish you at times?" Mike questioned, wincing slightly when the question garnered a sob from the younger boy.

"All the time, especially after our Mo… after his wife left him," Dean replied as he tucked Sammy's head under his chin and began to rock to and fro.

"And how did he punish you Dean? I'm sorry to have to ask, but we need to know if we are going to put Norman away for the rest of his life," the officer explained when he saw John take a protective stance.

"He, uh, he would beat us with a belt, a switch, a lamp cord, or whatever he could get his hands on at the time. He would backhand us a lot when we talked back to him or bash our heads against the wall and spit on us. Sometimes he punched and kicked us, and sometimes he would lock us in the closet, things like that," Dean voiced. "He found some reason to hit or whip us almost every week."

"Did he…Did he ever force you to, uh…" Mike stammered, trying to question the eldest child about whether or not they had ever been sexually abused.

"No, he never did that," Dean answered quickly with understanding, not wanting to hear the question spoken aloud with Sammy in the room. "He got off on watching porn flicks all the time."

"Thank God for that," John voiced, thankful beyond belief that that one torture had never been inflicted on his boys.

"Can you tell me how you ended up back here in Lawrence?" Mike questioned, needing to know how the boys miraculously returned their old hometown.

"One night when it was storming, Norman got really drunk. He started cussing us and blaming us for when his wife left him. He said if it wasn't for us, that he would have still been happy and that we were going to pay. He said he was going to beat the crap out of us with his fists and then kill us. I knew we had to leave then or he really would do what he threatened. So when he came at us, I picked up a lamp on the side table and threw it at him, hitting him in the head" Dean explained. "When he fell, I took Sammy by the hand and we ran and never looked back. A couple of weeks or so after that, we were found hiding in an abandoned house by Social Services people and put in a home. We were bounced from place to place until we ended up with Miss Amelia a few months ago."

"Okay, I think I have enough for now," Mike stated, knowing that the interview session had taken a lot out of Dean. "I may have some questions for you later and I would like to hear Sam's input on things."

"Sammy was too young to remember much. Do you have to question him?" Mary asked, her hazel eyes saddened by the thought of Sammy having to go through what Dean just went through at such a young age.

"I'll talk things through with the detectives. Maybe we have enough from Dean's statements, but I can't promise anything," Mike replied as he stood up. Turning to Dean, he said, "I'm sorry for having put you through all of that, but I think you given us enough to make sure that Norman never takes a free breath again."

"Will he have to testify when Norman goes to trial?" John asked, hoping that Dean, but especially Sammy, wouldn't be forced to look at the man's sneering face ever again.

"I honestly don't know, that will be up to the judge. But I'll do my best to make sure if he does have to testify, that it is in the privacy of the judge's chambers," Officer Labinski stated as reached out to shake John's hand. "Thank you for your time."

Escorting the officer out the door, John could only hope that this would be more smooth sailing from here on out. His family couldn't take much more trauma.

**TBC** **_Do you want to read more?_**


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